Life In Ruins
by Miles333
Summary: AU Tony's life is turned upside down when the man he hates most discovers his identity. Obadiah executes his revenge, then hands the teen over to none other than A.I.M. Two years later, Tony resurfaces. But something's really not right...
1. Prologue: Happy Birthday

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N: **This idea randomly popped into my brain, and I wasn't about to let it slip away. And since I've only seen up to the episode "Hide and Seek", hence the AU. Basically, none of the other episodes after that one happened in this storyline, okay? Anyway, here's the prologue, ready to be read and reviewed! :D Plus, for those of you who are impatiently waiting for more one shots based on the actual episodes, more of them will be posted shortly. So don't give up hope, okay? :)

**Summary: **AU Tony's life is turned upside down when the man he hates most discovers his identity. Obadiah executes his revenge, then hands the teen over to none other than A.I.M. Two years later, Tony resurfaces. But something's really not right…

* * *

Prologue: Happy Birthday

"I can't believe this is happening!" Pepper squealed excitedly, clapping both hands together and doing in a little jig in place. She ignored the looks that Tony and Rhodey were giving her, brushing a strand of red hair out of her eyes. "I mean, how can high school graduation be _next week_? It seems like just yesterday that we were trudging through the halls of Tomorrow Academy, and now we're almost _free_!" She paused for breath, grinning widely at the two teens walking beside her.

"It doesn't feel like yesterday to me," Rhodey muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not, Mr. Serious. You never have fun, so everything feels way longer to you," Pepper teased, sticking out her tongue. "So, who's for ice cream? I say we should stop by the Frosted Spoon and each get a cone to celebrate the weekend and our coming freedom!"

Rhodey turned to look over at Tony, who was walking beside him. The teen genius had so far been silent, ever since they had exited the school. He was walking slowly, both hands stuffed in his jeans pockets, and his eyes focused on the ground. "Tony? You doing okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah," he mumbled back absently, lifting his gaze. "Tomorrow's my birthday." He said this casually, ignoring the shocked looks that spread across both his friends' faces.

"_What_?" Pepper exclaimed, completely outraged. "Why didn't you ever _tell_ me?"

"Tony, man, I'm sorry," Rhodey enunciated, dark eyes round. "I completely forgot, with all the stuff that's been going on lately…"

"It's okay, Rhodey," Tony answered him good-naturedly, waving a hand. "Your dad having back surgery is enough to make anyone forget someone else's birthday. Really, I understand."

"Oh God, I don't have any presents for you!" Pepper cried, crazily running both hands through her short hair. The motion made it to stick up wildly from her skull. Mentally, she raced over all possible ideas of what she could rush out and buy before tomorrow. _What the heck do you buy a guy who can invent anything he ever needs or wants?_ she thought frantically.

"Really, guys. I don't want anything," Tony assured them, a small smile curving his lips. "That wasn't what I was thinking about, honestly."

"Then what is it?" Rhodey asked, trying to wipe the guilty expression from his face. He couldn't believe that he had actually forgotten Tony's birthday. Now he felt like a real jerk, especially after what Tony had done for _his_ last birthday. Since his dog Isabelle had been hit by a car just two weeks before the big day, Tony had built him a mechanical dog, created to look and act just like Isabelle had, except for the fact that it was a robot.

"Tomorrow I get to take over Stark International," Tony stated quietly, trying to keep his face from revealing the excitement brewing inside him. This was what he had been waiting for, for such a long time. And now the supreme goal was almost within his grasp, just hours away. He planned to turn up at the tower at dawn, demanding that everyone immediately leave. Except for Trisha, the receptionist who had worked for his father. She was the only one who going to be allowed to stay. "I even get to fire Stane. Happy birthday to me."

"That's _awesome_!" Pepper gasped, momentarily forgetting the dilemma of what to buy him for his birthday.

"Congratulations, Tony," Rhodey said softly, proud of what his friend had accomplished after putting his mind to it. He had kept his grades at solid A's without even trying, just as Howard Stark had requested in his holographic will, and now he was finally going to gain control of the family company.

"Thanks." Tony paused, thinking. "Oh, and the offer still stands. You can both come to work for me if you want, once I get everything sorted out at the company."

Pepper snorted. "Sure. Right. As _if_! I'm going to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., remember? They have–"

"Jet packs," Tony finished. "Yeah, yeah. I know, Pepper. You've been going on and on about it ever since I first met you."

"Well it's true! I bet that Stark International doesn't have jet packs," Pepper said smugly, crossing her arms over her chest as they kept walking down the sidewalk.

"Not yet," Tony replied, smirking. "That might change after I get control of the company."

Rhodey playfully punched a fist against his friend's shoulder. "Not that you're looking forward to it or anything."

"I won't lie. I _am_ looking forward to it." Tony grinned. "Firing Stane is going to be the birthday present to myself. This day has been coming for a _long_ time."

Pepper looked serious for one of the very first times in her whole life. "But what if Stane doesn't want to be fired? He might, you know, try to pull something."

Tony shook his head triumphantly. "It was in Dad's will. Stane has no choice but to hand over the company to me tomorrow morning. He has to do it."

"Pepper could be right, Tony," Rhodey added. "What if he–"

"Don't freak, Rhodey. Like I said, there's nothing Stane can do."

Rhodey shrugged. "Okay, Tony. If you say so..."

The teenage mastermind nodded. "And I do. Everything's going to go just fine tomorrow, trust me."

* * *

Obadiah Stane reclined in the leather chair before his desk, a heavy scowl coating his features. Not that it would be his desk for long. This wouldn't even be his _office_ after tomorrow. Thanks to the Stark brat, he was going to lose everything. If only there was some way to stop him from taking control of Stark International…

Grabbing the glass that had been resting innocently on the edge of the desk, he downed several swallows then dropped it carelessly back onto the solid surface. It toppled onto its side and a few drops of golden liquid splashed against the polished wood. He didn't bother wiping it up. It was going to be Stark's desk by morning, so who cared if some of the paint flaked off?

"Mr. Stane?" A voice suddenly echoed from behind him. Obadiah sat up straight in the chair, spinning around to stare behind him. A man wearing an expensive suit and yellow tie stood at the glass wall, staring down over the city with both hands clasped behind him. "I'm told you have a little…problem."

"Who are you?" Stane barked, one hand hovering over the intercom system on one side of his desk as he readied to page security.

"Mr. Stane, I work for a company called A.I.M." The man turned around, straightening his tie and smoothing back his hair. He smiled a cold and menacing smile. "And my sources tell me that you're in a sad state of affairs, with Tony Stark planning to take over your livelihood first thing tomorrow."

"That's none of your business. And I don't care _who_ you work for!" Stane bellowed, slamming one fist against the desk.

The man went on as if he hadn't even been interrupted. "But I think you will. Because I happen to be known as the Controller, thanks to a few little devices that Stark himself helped me invent. And if you help me capture Iron Man, I will help you get rid of Stark once and for all."

Obadiah snorted. "What do you want with Iron Man? Hundreds of others like you have tried to capture him, and none of them have succeeded yet. I should know; I've tried it myself a few times. Besides, what has this got to do with Stark?"

"Let me tell you a little secret." The Controller leaned forward towards Stane, a cool and collected expression still painted across his face. He spoke in a stage whisper, punctuating each word with a small yet dramatic pause. "I…know…who…Iron…Man…is."

"I don't care if you know who _Spider-Man_ is," Obadiah ground out. "All I want is to get rid of Stark without revealing myself as the person behind it."

The Controller strolled around to the other side of the desk, hands still clasped behind him. "You see, that's why I came to you, Mr. Stane. Because Iron Man and Tony Stark are closely related to one another, as I have discovered with some very clever tricks."

"What do you mean?" Stane feigned indifference, leaning back into his chair once more and studying his fingernails.

"Tony Stark…" The Controller paused once again for to increase the drama of his statement, "is Iron Man. Iron Man is Tony Stark. They're one and the same, Mr. Stane."

Obadiah went very still, eyes widening in shock. "That's not true," he said in a dangerous voice.

"Oh, but it is. It's _very_ true. All you have to do is loan me technology from the Stark vault, and I will take Iron Man down for you. Then all you'll have to do is take off the helmet and see for yourself."

Obadiah's eyes narrowed. "What's in this for you?"

"Well, after you're done having your fun with Stark, I want you to hand him over to my company. We'll take _good_ care of him, believe me." The Controller smiled sinisterly.

"How do I know you're telling the truth about any of this?" Obadiah demanded suspiciously. "How do I know that you're not lying about Iron Man?"

"Why, you don't, Mr. Stane." The Controller turned to face him again, gaze locking firmly on the other man's. "So, what's it going to be? You only have a few minutes to decide, as my patience is waning. Besides, after tomorrow morning, it will be much too late."

Obadiah frowned for several seconds, thinking over the possibility of never having to deal with the Stark brat ever again. It was almost too good to be true. He smoothed the frown away, then reached under the desk and pulled something from where it had been taped there. He held up a long key, passing it to the Controller. The other man studied it with muted interest.

"This," Obadiah enunciated slowly, "is for the vault on the eighth floor. "There are a few things in there that I think will be useful to you."

The Controller nodded, features displaying considerable smugness. "You've made the right decision, Mr. Stane."

"Bring Stark to me tonight," Obadiah said firmly. "Alive."

"Oh, he'll be alive. That's how my company specifically requested him. We'll be seeing you soon, Mr. Stane." The man walked calmly to the door, opened it, and vanished into the hallway.

Obadiah let a hard smile twist his lips. His dream was coming true. Soon he would be rid of Stark, and this company would be is his possession forever. And there was nothing that anyone could do about it. Touching the intercom, he paged the night secretary at the front desk. "Barbara. Bring up a bottle of wine. Right away."

"_Yes, sir. Right away, sir,"_ Barbara replied respectively.

Obadiah folded his hands in front of him, heaving a deep sigh of relief. Once tonight was over, he would be a much happier man. If what the Controller said was actually true, then when this night ended, both Iron Man _and_ Tony Stark would be out of his hair for good.

* * *

Tony groaned groggily, rolling over onto his back. He blinked the sleep from his eyes, then sat up and turned off the alarm that was radiating from his portable headset. Pressing it into one ear, he yawned and stared over at the glowing digits of his alarm clock. One in the morning. Stretching, he turned his attention to the report that was going out over the police scanner chip he had installed. Something about a man some kind of indestructible armor destroying downtown New York. Perfect. Sounded like a fun way to start the day.

Climbing out of bed, Tony grabbed a t-shirt at random and pulled it down over the gleaming disk implanted in his chest. Then he hurried over to the door and out into the hall. Jogging silently three doors down, he peered into Rhodey's bedroom. All that was visible of his friend was a tuft of black hair poking out from one end of the bed.

"Hey, _Rhodey_," he hissed, trying to get his attention without waking Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes. "There's something going on downtown. I'm going to go check it out, okay?"

"Go home, Pepper…" Rhodey mumbled incoherently, rolling over to face the wall and throwing one arm across his face.

Rolling his eyes, Tony turned and headed down the stairs, making sure to avoid the creaky step near the bottom. After a whole year of practice at sneaking out to fight crime as Iron Man, he was getting pretty good at it. He'd only been caught about three times by Rhodey's parents, and had always managed to convince them that he didn't need to be grounded. Well, except for that _one_ time.

Heading across the living room and into the garage, he pulled one of the bicycles down from the metal rack and slung his leg over one side. He needed to get over to the armory and suit up as quickly as possible, before he missed out on all the action. Opening the side door that led out of the garage, he pedaled down the street.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Tony was inside the Iron Man armor, flying above the city at sonic speed. Just ahead, he could see orange-red flashes of light as various things went up in flames, presumably thanks to the work of whoever it was that he was heading to fight. He could only wonder exactly what he was about to be battling. For all he knew, it could be a resurrected Crimson Dynamo again. He'd fought that thing _four times_ so far, and it just kept coming back.

His headset suddenly crackled to life, and the armor's mechanical voice questioned cheerily, _"Do you wish to speak to User Code 002, aka James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, who requests access to your comm. system?"_

"Sure, why not," Tony agreed casually. He waited until the resounding beep, then said, "Hey, Rhodey. Did you finally crawl out of bed?"

"_I'm at the armory,"_ Rhodey replied, not sounding too happy. _"How'd you get suited up so fast? By the time that my automatic alarm system went off and I got down there, you were gone."_

"I'm kind of amazed at it myself. Must be since today's my birthday. Rush of adrenaline and all that," Tony suggested.

"_I've already called Pepper. She should be here any minute."_

"Why'd you go and do that for? She probably wants her beauty sleep or something."

"_Remember how she reacted when we didn't call her last time? She was pretty ticked about missing out on the museum break-in."_

"Only because the thugs had jet packs. She would probably join them if it weren't for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony cracked.

"_You're probably right."_ Rhodey paused for a few seconds. _"I just hacked the security cameras around the area where this guy is tearing everything up. It's pretty bad, Tony."_

"Any casualties?" he asked stiffly, kicking his speed up just a notch. The last time he'd faced someone who wasn't just an ordinary criminal, which had been about three or four weeks ago, three people had died. Because of him not getting there soon enough, they had lost their lives. He still felt completely guilt-stricken about it.

"_Not yet, that I can tell. I'll send the image to the armor." _As Rhodey said this, a staticy image popped up inside the visor of Tony's helmet. It was of a figure wearing a tight black suit that appeared to be created from regular cloth when observed at a distance. But the bullets fired from the guns of the police surrounding the figure said differently, bouncing from the supposed 'cloth' with ease.

Tony felt like he had been punched in the gut, and inhaled deeply. "Great. Wonderful. Perfect, even," he uttered flatly.

"_What is it, Tony?"_

"That's something from the vault. I remember my dad working on it, when I was about twelve," Tony sighed. "It's indestructible, or so he said. And it definitely does lots of other things, too. But he didn't tell me anything about how to stop it, its weaknesses."

"_Oh,"_ Rhodey said. _"That's…not good. How do you plan to stop this guy?"_ He cleverly didn't mention anything else about the vault. This was the very day that Tony was set to take control of it, and Stane was sending out more of his father's inventions into the streets. Not good.

"By hitting it really, really _hard_." Tony cut his boot jets at that very second, then dropped to the ground at the speed of a bullet that had just been fired from a gun. He bent over when his iron boots slammed into the concrete, causing it to splinter dramatically around him. Though pained slightly from the rough contact, he managed to remain standing, slowly straightening to look the threat head-on.

The figure in black, which had been pummeling several policemen, turned to stare, an SUV held in one hand. Even though the mysterious person's entire face was covered in black fabric, Tony imagined that whoever was under the slim armor was smirking triumphantly. The figure carelessly dropped the vehicle, then raised the freed hand towards him. There was a sudden burst of static in Tony's ear, and he cried out, dropping to his knees.

* * *

Rhodey's dark eyes widened in shock when he heard the burst of static, and heard his friend cry out. He jumped to his feet inside the controller wheel, staring at the small screen. The horrifying words, '_Comm. Access Destroyed_' flashed across the screen in big letters.

Something was very wrong.

Rhodey dropped back into his seat and allowed his fingers to fly across the keyboard. He tried every access code he knew, and then some, but nothing happened. Whatever had gone wrong, it had completely severed all links and openings into the Iron Man armor. He had absolutely no way of telling what was going on with Tony.

"Hey, Rhodey! How's it going with Tony?" Pepper called eagerly, skipping into the room and over to the control wheel. "Kinda early to be summoned over here, huh? It's, like, barely even morning. I've never been up this early before, with it being so dark out and stuff. So, any jet packs, or are the criminals completely lame this time aroun–" She abruptly broke off when she noticed the position that Rhodey was in, head in his hands. He didn't even move when she hesitantly touched his arm. "Rhodey?" she whispered in a quiet voice, biting down hard on her lower lip. "Is something…wrong?"

"All communications with armor have been cut. And Tony said right before it went dead that his dad created the suit he was about to face. Something about it being indestructible. He doesn't even know anything about it beside that." Rhodey didn't look up, still gazing depressedly at the floor.

Pepper's lips formed a startled O. "What are you saying?" she gasped out.

Rhodey finally lifted his head, staring at her with dull eyes. "He could be dead, Pepper. Whoever destroyed the comm. connection has to be extremely powerful. He could have already…" His voice trailed off, and he made no efforts to say anything else.

Pepper's features tightened into a dark scowl. "No," she ground out through gritted teeth, showing no sign of her usual personality. Now she was grim and hard, trying to keep herself from breaking down and crying at the thought of Tony being dead. "He's not dead. He's not dead, Rhodey. You're _wrong_."

Rhodey gravely shook his head. "We can't know, Pepper. There's no way to–"

Pepper turned away and raced towards the door, where she had entered just moments before. Pausing, she looked over her shoulder at Rhodey. "Are you coming or not?" she demanded.

"Where exactly are we going?" Rhodey asked wearily.

"Duh! To rescue Tony!" She vanished through the opening, and Rhodey quickly followed, after grabbing a small remote from the control wheel.

* * *

Tony stumbled heavily to his feet, trying to pretend that he was completely unaffected by whatever this guy had just done to him. "Rhodey? Rhodey, can you hear me?" he asked urgently into the comm. system of his helmet. He was disappointed to only hear a faint static in his ears, and no sign that Rhodey was ever going to answer him.

"Having a little trouble with your systems?" The figure in black sauntered forward towards him, calling out in a loud and rasping voice.

"I don't know what your game is," Tony answered him, just a tone deeper than his normal voice, "but I'm going to stop you before you hurt any other innocent people."

"These people are hardly innocent." The figure was getting closer, still calmly walking towards him. "And don't you recognize me? I'm the Controller."

Tony's jaw dropped inside his helmet. "But…you died in the explosion…"

"Ah, well. Looks can be deceiving." He was merely feet away now, close enough that he could speak in his normal voice. "Can't they, _Tony Stark_?"

The teen genius now felt like he had received a punch to the gut, and was very glad that the Controller couldn't see his facial expression. If that was who this really was, anyway. "I…I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered quickly.

"A little too quick to respond, aren't we?" The Controller loudly clicked his tongue, shaking his head back and forth as though reprimanding Iron Man. "You're not very good at lying, you know."

Tony's gritted his teeth together and raised both hands. He fired a quick blast from his repulsors that should have flattened anyone unlucky enough to get in the way of the twin beams. Instead, the blue energy beams bounced harmlessly off the Controller's deceivingly simple suit and rocketed up into the atmosphere. "How is that even possible?" he whispered incredulously.

"I'd advice that you stopped struggling now. It would be in your best interests to come along without protesting."

Tony lunged for the Controller, not exactly what he was going to do once he actually reached the criminal. He was shocked when the full weight of the Iron Man armor suddenly struck him, gravity beams giving out. He collapsed to the ground with a loud crash, the heavy iron crushing the breath from his lungs. He gasped and choked, then managed to lift his head enough to see the Controller as he calmly approached. His vision screen was dark, and he was forced to squint in order to see properly.

"Mr. Stane is very eager to see you, Tony." The Controller bent over and effortlessly pulled off the red tracking chip that Tony had attached to the side of his head, dropping it to the concrete. "Can't have anyone tracking you, now can we? Oh. And I meant to say," he paused for dramatic effect, "_happy birthday_."

He raised his hand once more, and Tony felt a splitting pain in his skull. He cried out in pain, everything swaying dizzily before his eyes, then everything slipped away into darkness.

* * *

"Is that scanner thing of yours doing anything, you know, _scanny_ yet?" Pepper demanded breathlessly, stopping and resting both hands on her knees as she gasped for air. She and Rhodey had run all the way from the abandoned airport to downtown, in only about ten minutes. The latter had been following the signal on some remote control, trying to track a signal that a chip implanted in Tony's armor was supposedly emitting. Pepper wasn't really sure what he was talking about, but she had followed his lead. She was really good at following leads.

"This must be wrong," Rhodey muttered to himself, slapping the scanner against his leg as he tried to catch his breath again. "There's no way that it can be right…"

"What? What can't be right?" Pepper popped up behind Rhodey unexpectedly, peering over his shoulder at the tiny screen. She blinked with wonder at the flashing dots and icons on the screen. "Oooh, pretty. What does all that stuff mean?"

"It means," Rhodey smacked the scanner another time for good measure, "that Tony and the armor should be right about where we're standing. And they're obviously _not_."

"Do you think that maybe Tony's chip thingie could have fallen out or something?" Pepper suggested.

"_No_." Rhodey rolled his eyes heavenward. "That's not possible. I helped Tony weld it on there myself. The only way that it could come off would be if Superman himself showed up and pulled it–" He broke off when he saw that Pepper wasn't even listening. She was kneeling on the concrete, staring at something with a shocked expression. "Pepper? Pepper, are you okay?"

"D…does this mean that Superman dropped by?" she asked him in a quivering voice, holding something up in a shaking hand. It was Tony's tracking chip, the one that had been welded firmly and unbreakably onto his Iron Man armor.

Rhodey's legs gave out, and he weakly dropped to the ground beside Pepper. He could only stare blankly at the red tracking device that Pepper held in one hand. _Tony, where _are_ you?_ he thought numbly.

* * *

Tony huddled in a tattered heap on the cold basement floor, deep below Stark Tower. He struggled to breathe through the cracked rib that was trying its best to stab him through his already damaged heart. He also tried to ignore the blood leaking from numerous cuts above his eyes, painfully blinding him. The bruises and burns all over his body were aching and throbbing, so he had plenty of other things to focus on.

Obadiah loomed up in his vision, holding the sonic-powered whip in one manicured hand. Casually examining his fingernails, a cold smile came to his face. "You know, I almost didn't believe the Controller when he told me that you were Iron Man a couple hours ago," he admitted, voice echoing throughout the empty basement. "I couldn't believe that someone like you could become someone like Iron Man." He shook his head, seeming almost to regret the way he had been torturing Tony for several hours now.

Tony didn't answer, staring at a stain on the floor only inches away from his crumpled form. It looked suspiciously like blood, and he highly suspected that it was his own.

"But if you think this is bad, you're wrong. I'm sure that A.I.M. and the Controller have much worse plans for you, Tony," Obadiah announced cheerlessly. He raised the whip, then stopped before he could lash it against Tony's skin once more. "Oh, and one more thing. I hope you've have a happy birthday." He leaned closer and spoke in an exaggerated stage whisper. "And I just want you to know that I'll take _good care_ of your father's company."

"You won't get away with this," Tony mumbled through chattering teeth. He suspected that being clad only in a thin pair of jeans in a freezing basement was finally starting to get to him.

"Oh, but I will." Obadiah lifted the weapon, flicking it back on with a small button on the metal handle. It flared to life with an explosion of cruel sparks. "I hope that you enjoyed your _presents_." He brought the whip down again against Tony's bare skin, and the teen once more lost consciousness.

**

* * *

**

Please review! You _know_ you want to see what happens next! ;)


	2. Chapter One: Hopeless

******Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N: **Thanks so much for the reviews. I really appreciate hearing your comments, and they always make my day! :)

* * *

Chapter One: Hopeless

_Two years later…_

Wearily unlocking his apartment door, 19-year-old Rhodey stepped into his apartment and closed the door behind him. Leaning limply against it for a few seconds, he heaved a sigh and continued on into the dark kitchen area. Tossing his keys down onto the counter, he walked over to check his messages. The red light was blinking, which signaled that he had at least one message. One depressing message that was most likely from Pepper. She made sure to call him occasionally with supposed tips that never shed any light on the case.

Rhodey turned away from the answering machine, heading for the refrigerator. He didn't have the strength to listen to Pepper's cold and hard voice, telling him that she had found Tony, and that she knew where he was. After the first three false alarms, he had lost all hope.

It had been a hard day in his classes today, followed by an even harder several hours at the computer assistance phone service where he worked. He knew that the reason he was majoring in computer hardware technology was because of all his time helping Tony with the Iron Man armor, but tried not to think about that.

He opened the door of the refrigerator, blinking as a brilliant light filled the shadowy kitchen. Staring past the spots in his eyes, he reached for a can of soda and popped the tab open. Shoving the door closed and turning away again, he jumped in surprise as Stark raced up to him, wagging his tail. Yes, he'd named his dog Stark. Tony would have teased him about it all the time, but Rhodey really wouldn't have minded. He just wanted his best friend back, no matter what it took.

Shuffling over to the cramped area beside the small kitchen that served as a living room, he dropped into the single chair and pulled a compact laptop onto his lap. Offering the still-wagging Stark a pat on the head, Rhodey opened the laptop and typed in his password combination. Then he connected to the building's free wi-fi services and brought up the webpage that he had created just after Tony's disappearance.

His chest ached when he saw Tony's grinning photo, and the information about his vanishing act neatly typed below it. Well, most of the information. The part about him being Iron Man and possibly having been kidnapped by a super villain was carefully omitted, for obvious reasons. Tony would want his secret identity protected when he came back. Not if. It was most definitely _when_.

Rhodey grimaced when he saw the total of hits to the page. Only thirty people had ever clicked on the website in two years, and about twenty-eight of them appeared to have been reporters. Or so he assumed, as the twenty-eight comments were all from reporters requesting interviews so they could write an 'accurate story about the missing teen inventor, Tony Stark'.

He switched the laptop off and dropped it unceremoniously onto the side table. Resting the untouched can of soda on the arm of his chair, he rubbed at his aching temple with both hands. Looking at the webpage always brought up bad memories, and not just because of Tony. It made him remember the big fight he and Pepper had had, the one that had destroyed most of their friendship. It made him remember when the happy and outgoing girl had vanished, leaving the emotionless woman behind to take her place.

_Rhodey's dark eyes widened as he stepped into the armory. It had been roughly three weeks since Tony had vanished without a trace, and this was the first time he had come to the armory since then. When Pepper had ordered him to meet her there, he hadn't had the slightest idea what he was going to encounter. Among the high-tech weapons and pieces of junk, furniture and even a bed were decoratively placed. Pepper herself was before an obviously newly-installed computer system, fingers flying frantically over the keyboard as she hacked various government databases._

"_P…Pepper?" he asked cautiously, taking a hesitant step over the threshold. Even from behind, he was dubious that she was really herself right then._

"_Rhodey!" She turned halfway towards him, her eyes glittering. Her hair was sticking up wildly from her skull, and it didn't look as though it had been washed recently. Her gray sweatshirt and jeans were horribly wrinkled, leaving Rhodey to wonder just how long she had been wearing them. "I think I'm on Tony's trail! I'm checking all the top secret files in several government databases, and I've got tons of leads! This could be it, Rhodey! Tony's coming back home!" She grinned excitedly._

_Rhodey cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to word what he had to say. "Pepper. How long have you been down here?"_

_Her lively expression disappeared, and she abruptly turned away. Her fingers moved more slowly across the computer keys, tiny clicking sounds echoing through the cavernous armory. "I don't know. Does it even matter?" she asked him shortly. "We have to find him, Rhodey. He would do the same for us."_

"_I know he would, Pepper," Rhodey told her soothingly. "But…Tony wouldn't want you to live your life like this, especially not because of him. He'd want you to be __happy__."_

"_I _can't_ be happy, Rhodey!" Pepper snapped, spinning around in her chair to face him. She jumped to her feet, accusingly jabbing one finger towards him. "How can I be happy when Tony is just _gone_, maybe even __forever__? He could be dead for all we know, and you don't even __care__!"_

"_That's not true," Rhodey declared hotly, both hands clenching into fists as he tried to control his temper. He wouldn't accomplish anything by blowing up at Pepper. "He's my best friend, Pepper. Of _course_ I care. And I made that webpage, remember? If anyone has seen Tony, they'll contact me through the site."_

"_That's _not enough_!" she roared angrily. "It's just a stupid website with his picture plastered on it; how is it going to do anything about him? We need to be out there actually searching and _doing_ something!"_

"_How?" Rhodey asked wearily, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "We don't have any leads, and there's no way to start searching without any. We don't even have the armor to help us out, since Tony was taken along with it."_

"_That's where you're wrong, about not having any leads. Don't you think it's even the slightest bit suspicious that he disappeared on the exact day that he turned eighteen, finally old enough to take over his father's company? Did you even stop to consider that none other than Obadiah Stane has the best motive to get rid of Tony? Why would he just hand over the company without any protests?"_

"_Don't be ridiculous. Obadiah would never do that," he answered uncertainly. He just couldn't imagine Stane climbing into the armor that had attacked Tony and trying to destroy New York City. It didn't really seem like some that he would be able to pull off. Besides, he didn't even know that Tony was Iron Man. _

"_Don't be so sure. The clues I'm uncovering all point towards Stane. Did you know that there's a secret floor to Stark Tower?" Pepper pulled up a building schematic with a single click of her mouse, highlighting a lower part of the building in orange. "He could be hiding Tony there!"_

_Rhodey swallowed hard, closing his eyes for several seconds. It was time to try his best to reason with her. Things were starting to go down the drain, and fast. "Pepper…your parents are worried about you. No one knows where you are, not even them. When I asked, your dad told me that you just took your stuff and left, then called and said you were living in an apartment, but wouldn't say where."_

_Pepper turned away from him, folding her arms across her chest. "Well, duh. I couldn't just say that I was hiding in Iron Man's base under an old airport. They would never approve." _

"_I think you should go home. We're all really worried about you," Rhodey said quietly. "And staying here isn't helping Tony any–"_

"_You don't care about him." She spoke in a low voice, turning her head towards him. Rhodey could see tears glistening in her eyes. _

"_Of __course__ I do, like I said a minute ago. I just don't think that Tony would want you wasting your life here in the base. It's not what he would want for you, Pepper."_

"_You're talking about him like he's already dead. And besides, what are you going to do? Get a job, go to college?"_

"_Actually, that's exactly what I plan to do. I've got a scholarship in computer hardware technology to Brickswood State University. I'm going to get an education, using stuff that I learned while working on the armor with Tony–"_

"_Make your choice, Rhodey," Pepper interrupted him savagely, biting down hard on her lower lip. "You can either go live like you want to or stay here with me and look for our friend. Decide. __Now__."_

_Rhodey stared at her incredulously. "You can't expect me to just live here or walk out. That's absolutely impossible, Peppe–"_

"_College or Tony? What's it gonna be?" Pepper demanded in a tight voice. "You can either drop the scholarship or get out."_

"_I can't just 'drop the scholarship'. My parents are so proud of me, and it's the only way I'm going to be able to go to a great college like Brickswood. My parents just don't have the money for me to go to places like that."_

"_Fine. Then just get out. And don't come back." Pepper faced the wall, her back and shoulders as straight as a ruler. She didn't even look like she was breathing. _

_Rhodey chewed on his bottom lip, trying to hold back various emotions. He took a deep breath, then turned and walked out of the armory. As the door closed behind him, he thought that he heard the sound of sobbing._

Back in the present time, Rhodey blinked rapidly to clear the faint sheen of wetness from his eyes. Even though this painful memory had happened so long ago, he still recalled every detail of it. He knew that Tony would hate what had happened to Pepper and how she had changed so drastically, but he'd never been able to convince her of that. There was nothing that he could do. The only thing that could help Pepper was if Tony returned. And that didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon.

Stark whined, putting his head on Rhodey's lap. His pink tongue lolled out as he begged for attention. Rhodey absently stroked the small dog's head, weighing his options for what to do next inside his mind. He finally made a decision, climbing to his feet and walking over to the answering machine. Pressing the button, he waited.

"_Rhodey, it's Mom. I was wondering if you could come over to dinner tonight. You haven't stopped by to see me in so long, honey. I'd love to hear all about how college is going for you, too. Could you please just return this call? I'm so worried about you, honey."_

The machine beeped, and Rhodey steeled his expression. He couldn't go see his mother right now. Not after all the bad memories that the house held for him. And not only because had Tony once lived there, right down the hall from his own bedroom. But one morning not long after his friend had vanished, he'd found his dad unconscious in the kitchen after having a heart attack. He hadn't even survived long enough to get to the hospital.

The machine beeped a second time, then another message began playing. _"I've got another lead. I'm completely sure of it this time. Tony's being held in a building downtown, and he's definitely alive. It's some kind of terrorist gang or something, I think. The cover is Press 'N' Wash Laundromat. I'm going down to check it out tonight." _The message ended, since that had apparently been all Pepper had wanted to say. That was so unlike how she had once been; her old habit had been to leave thirty-seven messages in a row, each one even more enthusiastic than the first.

Rhodey walked away from the answering machine, towards his bedroom. Closing and locking the door to make sure that Stark stayed safely in the rest of the cramped apartment, he opened his closet and shoved back the racks of neatly pressed clothes. Pressing his hand against the smooth white wall, the correct panel moved aside to reveal the glowing keypad. He typed in his nine unrelated passkeys to open the secret door, which glided softly open in the back of the closet. A green light pulsed silently from within the darkness.

Rhodey slid the door closed behind him, pulling the several locks and latches secure. Then he strode through the secret chamber to the silver rack that gleamed through the faint darkness. A large set of gray armor lay on the table, covered in high-tech devices and weapons, yet surprisingly unbulky. The War Machine armor.

He'd been working on it for some time with Tony, but had only finished it after the disappearance. Now he was using it to patrol the city and keep the streets safe, especially with all of Stane's cronies constantly up to no good. Stane had hired several scientists, according to Pepper's reports, and all were replicating Howard Stark's amazing inventions and changing them into powerful weapons. There was always something going on, and Rhodey usually stopped it, whatever it happened to be. He always did no less than his best, in memory of Tony. And he was getting pretty good at working the armor, after so long.

Rhodey pressed a button, and the armor slid into two pieces. He stepped up onto the rack, and it reformed perfectly around his body. Staring out through the view screen, he powered the armor up. Time to go clean up the streets for the night, sapping more of his precious energy in the process. He was like a zombie these days, even around Stark. He just didn't have the strength to do anything these days, not even visit his own mother.

He could only hope that Tony would have been proud of his efforts.

* * *

Pepper sat straight up in bed as her alarm clock suddenly blared, hurriedly blinking the sleep from her eyes. She ignored the tufts of red hair that were sticking up all over her head, instead swinging out of bed and rushing across the armory to the large computer panel. She touched several keys, using the four-letter name that she had as her password. It wouldn't have been too hard for anyone to figure out, considering that those four letters meant everything to her, and she would do anything to get the owner of the name back. _Anything_.

The address of the supposed laundromat flashed across the large screen, and her eyes narrowed into triumphant slits. "I've got you now," she muttered under her breath. "I'm coming, Tony. I know you're there. I just _know_ it."

She glanced towards the framed photo of Tony, which sat on the counter beside the bulky computer keyboard. He was grinning teasingly, wearing the red shirt and jeans that he had always been clad in. Her hands shook as she stared at him, her whole body beginning to quiver along with them. Tightening her lips into a firm line, she lay her head down on the countertop. It was cool against her forehead, and barely helped calm the violent tremors shaking her entire body. She took several deep breaths to get rid of the painful pangs in her chest, then pushed herself back into a standing position.

"I'm coming, Tony," she mumbled again, trying mostly to reassure herself. That was all she had left these days; she couldn't even count on Rhodey. That jerk was off going to college of all things, not even trying to locate his best friend. He hadn't called her back in months. The only people who called her these days were her parents and Gene Khan of all people. He was always leaving messages telling her things that she assumed were meant to be reassuring. But since she had changed her number two days ago, none of them had been bothering her anymore.

Turning to the left, Pepper keyed the fifteen correct buttons in a matter of seconds, causing the shell of metal to creak easily open. Inside was a suit of special black material that automatically fit itself to her body and something that vaguely resembled a black backpack. It was in reality a jetpack, though she had no pride in actually owning the device she had always wanted, liberated along with the suit from the FBI some time ago. It also had some of Tony's experimental devices added into the mix, but she felt no pride in having fitted them to the FBI devices. Nothing except finding Tony mattered to her now. Nothing.

Pulling off her normal clothes and leaving them in a careless heap on the floor, she quickly dressed in the black costume, watching dully as it made a quiet clicking sound and shrunk to tightly cling to her body like a second skin. She added a black visor that shielded her eyes and a pair of ear clips, one for each ear. She then attached the jetpack securely to her back, tired face a mask of determination. She was as ready as she was going to get. Hopefully no one would have guns or anything when she broke Tony out, like they had the last time. A bullet had deeply grazed her left arm when she'd been trying to get away; there was definitely going to be a scar.

Unplugging her phone from the computer, she stared grimly at the GPS map showing on the small screen. Luckily, the laundromat wasn't very far away from the abandoned airport, so it wouldn't take her very long to get there. Tony would be safely back at home in no time; she was really sure of it this time.

Pushing a tiny button on her left ear clip, she activated both the clips and the visor. The GPS map popped up before her eyes, and her phone's control diverted to the clips. She could leave it at home, yet wouldn't miss out on anything important. She never knew if anyone would call with information about Tony. There was always a possibility.

Reaching over one shoulder to activate the jetpack, she braced her body in preparation for flight. Her boots, which were connected to the actual pack, flared with a bright light, pushing her up from the concrete floor. The tunnel overhead opened with a clanging sound, and she shot up through the concrete and into the darkness outside. The faint breeze shook her slightly, but she managed to keep control and started following the blinking dot on her visor view screen.

* * *

It only took about ten minutes to reach her destination. Pepper landed on the roof of a florist across the street from the 'laundromat', crouching down to stare at it intently. She had no worries of being seen, since her suit was programmed to automatically blend as best as it could into any surroundings. And since it was already as black as the night sky, she was pretty much already hidden enough.

Pepper's vision screen flickered with life signs as it sluggishly scanned the inside of the building. Nine life signs radiated to the visor's scanner, all from the basement area of the small building. One life sign wasn't moving at all, and the others were all crowded around it. _Yes, _she thought triumphantly, sure that all her work had finally paid off; she'd found Tony! _I've finally found him! _She chose not to think about the other times she'd been so sure, when her instincts had been proved to be so very wrong.

Her intense examination of the building and its inhabitants was interrupted as one of her ear clips trilled shrilly. Information popped up on her visor's transparent screen, reading in large letters, _"Khan, Gene calling. 322-4775."_ She suppressed an annoyed sigh, blinking once to signal for the phone to go straight to voicemail. There a beep in her ear, then Gene's voice said,

"_Potts. It's me. I know this is the right number, because Rhodes told me. Why haven't you been calling me back? I know that you're upset about Stark going missing, but it's been two years. You should be getting out some. I haven't seen you around the city for some time._ _Where have you_ _been hiding?"_ Gene paused uncharacteristically for a few seconds. _"I'll…take you out to dinner if you just call me back. Just as friends,"_ he was quick to add. _"I'm really worried about you, Pepper. And so is Rhodey."_ The phone went dead.

Pepper frowned with frustration. She was going to have to start calling Rhodey from a payphone when she gave him updates on the Tony situation, so he couldn't keep tracing her number and giving out to everyone and their dog. And why hadn't Gene given up on her yet? She hadn't talked to him for two years, but that never stopped him from calling. And lately, he'd been sounding…strange, not his usual smug and arrogant self. She couldn't figure out why. Not that she even cared, of course.

"Okay. This is it," she muttered to herself. "I'm going to get Tony from those goons, and we're going to go back to the armory. This isn't going to be like last time," she added fiercely. "But first…" She activated her phone system by tapping an ear clip twice, then waited.

* * *

Rhodey frowned when the comm. system inside his helmet pinged, signaling an oncoming message. Who would be calling him inside the armor? No one except probably Pepper knew that he was War Machine, and only because she'd more than likely guessed, not because he'd actually told her. And why would she be calling him? She had already made her call for the day, by leaving that message at his apartment. Something had to be wrong.

Frowning, he answered the call. "Pepper?"

"_I'm onto something. I'm at that laundromat I told you about earlier, and I'm pretty sure that Tony is in there. If I don't call you back in ten, something's happened."_ The line sharply went dead. That had apparently all Pepper had wanted to say, as usual. She really didn't talk much these days.

"Great," Rhodey muttered under his breath, scowling. What had Pepper gotten herself into this time? It was probably nothing good, especially since her message from earlier that day had insisted the laundromat was a cover for a terrorist organization. "I'm going to have to go get her," he realized aloud. Then, speaking directly to the armor's computer systems, he said loudly, "Locate the address for…" He paused, trying to remember the name she had told him earlier, "…Press 'N' Wash Laundromat, located somewhere in the downtown vicinity."

The computer beeped cheerfully. _"Affirmative. Press 'N' Wash Laundromat located. Fastest course to requested location now automatically mapped out. Engaging systems."_ A transparent map flashed across the inside of the armor's helmet.

Rhodey nodded to himself, turning to head past Chinatown and towards Pepper's location. He could only hope that she would stay out of trouble until he managed to get there. But this thought was doubtful, because Pepper was always in trouble.

* * *

Gene, sitting atop his throne and wearing the Mandarin armor that he had taken from his stepfather so long ago, turned when one of his servants crawled into the room. "What is it?" he boomed threateningly, voice echoing loudly with help from his cavernous helmet and the large room that surrounded him. He'd had no trouble pretending to be his stepfather all this time, and still made appearances as himself to keep the servants from becoming suspicious. Not that he thought they would have cared about their masters switching places. They just wanted someone to lead them against the idiotic Maggia and help take stolen territory back. Gene had much higher aspirations, such as finding the other Makluan ring. He already had four of them now, and only needed the last one. Then he would be all-powerfull.

"Master, we have intercepted a transmission from War Machine, as you requested," the man murmured, still bowing low to the ground. He held a small recording device in one gloved hand. "The armor was passing above our location, and we recorded the call."

Gene sighed as though this were a major inconvenience, and roughly snatched the recorder from the servant. "Leave me now, and you will keep your petty life."

"Yes, Master. Thank you, Master. I praise your name." The servant backed out, then disappeared out the door of the room.

Gene stared down at the black recorder in his clawed glove, brow furrowing under his helmet. Who would Rhodes have been getting a call from? As far as he knew, no one knew about him being War Machine, aside from him, of course. He'd had his ways of finding out this little fact, as the Mandarin. And of course it had been painfully obvious when both Tony and Iron Man had disappeared together that they were one and the same. So who else to take over the role of protecting the city than Rhodes?

Waiting for several more seconds, Gene pressed the red button. Rhodes' voice echoed throughout the room, only slightly distorted. _"Pepper?"_

"_I'm onto something. I'm at that laundromat I told you about earlier, and I'm pretty sure that Tony is in there. If I don't call you back in ten, something's happened."_ It was Pepper's voice. So she knew about Rhodes being War Machine. Interesting.

"_Great," _came Rhodes' voice again._ "I'm going to have to go get her." _There was a small pause, and Gene thought for a minute that the recording was over, completely useless to ,_ "Locate the address for Press 'N' Wash Laundromat, located somewhere in the downtown vicinity."_

A computerized voice reported loudly, _"Affirmative. Press 'N' Wash Laundromat located. Fastest course to requested location now automatically mapped out. Engaging systems."_

Gene's eyebrows shot up, so high that they almost merged with his hairline, as the recorder shut off with a small burst of static. "Interesting," he remarked softly to himself. "So Pepper thinks that she's found Stark again. And Rhodes is going to go help her, even though they haven't really been speaking. This must mean that he thinks it's going to be dangerous."

He hesitated for several seconds, at war with himself as he mentally argued against his two options. He finally came to a decision, getting to his feet with a loud clanking sound of metal against metal. Drawing his powerful hand into a fist, he watched the recorder crumble into black dust. "I'm just doing this for myself," he said, trying to sound completely certain of this. "I don't care what happens to either Potts _or_ Rhodes. I'm only going to find out if they've really found Stark, because that could affect my business with the Maggia. Right."

* * *

Pepper carefully set the sheet of glass from the roof of the laundromat aside, glancing cautiously over both shoulders. Then, flattening both arms to her sides, she dropped through the hole in the roof, and into what she highly suspected was some type of terrorist organization.

She landed almost soundlessly on the balls of her feet, face settling into a determined expression. It was completely dark inside the building, except for the faint moonlight filtering in from above her. There wasn't a single sound, not even of the life signs she had spotted earlier speaking to each other. But she wasn't afraid, despite the extreme eeriness of the situation. She had done all of this and more, all in the name of finding Tony and rescuing him. And the tips she'd picked up from her father over the years had really come in handy.

She touched her fingers to the side of her visor, and the night vision activated, instantly lighting up the corridor stretching before her like in was daytime. Now that she could actually see, it was just as she had thought. Not a single washer, drier, or rack of pressed clothes anywhere. Just an empty shell of a building, full of cameras that were pointed right at her.

Pepper immediately froze, praying mentally that they hadn't picked her up yet. If so, everyone already knew that she was there. She cursed silently, quickly ducking to one side and pressing her body against the wall. Chest heaving up and down, she scanned the new corridor before her. No sign of any cameras here, surprisingly. Apparently, whoever ran this place was confident that no one else would be able to get past the first line of defense. _Well, they've obviously never met _me_,_ she thought smugly.

Just ahead was a metal staircase, presumably going down into the basement. Pepper didn't even stop to think about it; she only hurried towards it. The only thing that made her stop was the retinal scanner implanted in the wall beside the metal doors. Perfect. Just perfect. Now how was she supposed to get inside?

A loud clanging sound reached her ears, coming from somewhere behind her. She spun frantically around, muscles tense with adrenaline as she turned to face the threat. Her brow furrowed with confusion when she saw the dark figure, standing in the shadows several hundred yards down the hallway. The figure was absolutely motionless, and didn't exactly look human. Whoever it was had a slightly bulky look to them, their shape distorted.

"Who are you?" Pepper called out boldly, keeping any fear from her voice. "What do you want? And are you holding Tony Stark hostage? I demand to know where he is!"

There was curious clinking sound, then a pair of very white eyes gleamed from the darkness. Pepper gave a startled gasp and took a quick step backwards. She pressed her back up against the firmly locked door, heart pounding against the inside of her chest. "Who are you?" she asked again, weakly.

As though answering her question, the figure took three steps forward, closer to her so that she could see his or her features. When the mysterious person came completely into view, Pepper's knees gave out, and she sagged against the door. She almost toppled over onto the floor, and barely managed to keep herself standing. As she choked and tried to keep breathing, her eyes ran frantically over the red suit of armor. It looked almost exactly as she remembered it, only covered partially in glistening silver instead of yellow.

Pepper cleared her throat, trying to speak despite her suddenly dry mouth. She stepped away from the door, unintentionally leaving her back unprotected. "T…Tony?" she whispered meekly.

The armor's eyes flashed again, then something hard collided with the back of her skull. She cried out and gasped, then everything slipped away into blackness.

**

* * *

**

Please review! :D


	3. Chapter Two: Disbelief

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N: **Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter, and I'm really sorry for the short wait. I hope this new update makes it up to all of you. :)

* * *

Chapter Two: Disbelief

The next thing Pepper knew, she was flat on her back, pressed up against something rough and hard. Her eyes flickered open, staring up at the twinkling stars of the night sky, and she inhaled a deep and cleansing breath. "What…happened?" she mumbled aloud, mostly just trying to wake herself up the rest of the way. Her head was aching, especially at the back of her skull, and she had no idea what had happened. The last thing she had remembered, she'd been inside the laundromat that had probably been a terrorist organization. She'd found all that high-tech gear all over the place, then…

A startled gasp burst involuntarily from her lips as the masked redhead remembered. "Tony!" she whispered in a stunned voice, eyes widening to what would have been an almost comical size, under any other circumstances. "Oh God, I _found Tony_."

Just saying the words gave her a burst of nearly supernatural strength, and she rolled over and braced herself with her hands and knees. Taking another deep breath, she shoved herself to her feet and somehow managed to land on her feet. Her head rushed and whirled from the sudden movement, and she staggered and nearly fell. But before she could hit the concrete again, a metallic glove touched her waist and held her up.

"Tony?" Pepper cautiously turned around, lips already curving up in an excited grin as she faced her rescuer. Then her joyful expression slipped, sliding back into the mask of graveness that was her usual one these days, as she saw the massive suit of gray armor standing over her. "Oh. Rhodey," she realized flatly. She was glad for the mask over her face, which hid the tears now sparkling in her eyes. She'd been hoping so much that this was finally over, that Tony and Iron Man had finally returned. But she was apparently wrong.

"Pepper. I got your call." Rhodey shifted uncertainly, taking his glove from her slim waist. "I was worried, so I came over. Are you…" He hesitated for several seconds. "What happened?"

"You didn't have to come. I had everything perfectly under control," Pepper snapped back at him, scowling darkly. Her bottom lip trembled, and she bit down hard on it to keep herself calm. She couldn't break down now; Rhodey would think that she was completely incapable of taking care of herself. This was completely untrue, but she would have a rough time convincing her ex-friend of this.

"I…I was worried about you, Pepper. I was afraid that something might happen to you."

"That was pretty stupid of you. I can take care of myself, especially after all this time. You should know that by now, Rhodey," Pepper stated firmly, turning away and folding her arms over her chest as she tried to figure out exactly where she was. She couldn't exactly ask _him_, as that would pretty much contradict her previous statement. Besides, she couldn't be very far away from the laundromat, since Rhodey had found her so quickly.

Activating her night vision, she scanned her surroundings and frowned as she realized just where they were standing. They were on the roof of the very laundromat she'd been searching earlier. The headquarters of the definite terrorist organization. The place where Tony had been held all this time, she was sure. Why else would she have seen Iron Man like that?

Unless she was hallucinating. But that simply wasn't possible. This wasn't like the last few times. She really _had_ seen Tony, the real Tony. She was absolutely positive of this fact. Really.

Rhodey cleared his throat, sounding awkward. "So…uh…did you find anything?"

"No. Just the Iron Man armor." Pepper walked towards the skylight she had climbed through earlier, easily locating it. The glass was once more firmly back in place, and she nudged it with the toe of one of her boots. "Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. And something or some_one_ attacked me while I was staring at it." She absently rubbed the back of her head, wondering if she was bleeding under her mask.

"_What_?" Rhodey exploded, hurrying up behind her. "Why didn't you mention this earlier, Pepper?"

"Because I didn't think you would believe me," she replied coldly, facing her once-friend. "As usual."

"I…I never said that I didn't believe you," Rhodey fumbled uncomfortably. "It's just that…I've been pretty busy with college and work, that's all. And War Machine has been taking up a lot of my time, too."

"Yeah. I've noticed. Time which you could be using to look for Tony." Pepper folded her arms across her chest, trying her best to make Rhodey feel guilty. He deserved it, in her opinion, and she wasn't about to let him get out of it with lame excuses like he normally did.

There were several seconds of uneasy silence, then Rhodey spoke up once more. "Are you sure that it was really Tony? Because when I got here, you were just standing up here on the roof. You were all alone. No one else was around. I came just a couple of minutes after you called."

"You must have just missed him," Pepper enunciated in a voice that was as hard as nails. "Because I know that it was him, Rhodey. I wouldn't _not_ recognize him. We were inside the laundromat. Only it's not really a laundromat, like I suspected. There's nothing in there, just tons of camera and retinal scanners. Not a washer, drier, or basket of dirty clothes anywhere."

The metal helmet of War Machine bobbed up and down once. "Fine. We'll go inside, and you can show me where this happened." Rhodey didn't even dare to hope that she had actually found their best friend. It was too much to hope for.

"Fine. Just let me move this glass." Pepper bent over and gripped at the edges of the sheet of transparent glass, feeling it cut through her gloves and into her fingers. She strained, pulling with all of her strength. It was obvious that whoever had replaced the glass after tossing her to the roof had sealed it back on pretty tightly.

"Here," Rhodey offered generously, leaning forward to help her out. "Let me–"

"No!" Pepper snapped, shoving him away from her. She stared angrily at him, face full of rage beneath her mask, until he slowly backed away. "I can do it myself. I always have," she mumbled, turning back to the task at hand.

* * *

The Mandarin stood silently on the roof across from _Press 'N' Wash Laundromat_, watching through the eyeholes of his helmet as Rhodes landed besides Pepper and caught her from toppling over just in time. He found an unreasonable pang of jealously as he stared at the glove lingering on Potts' waist for several seconds' time as they exchanged clipped words between one another.

Pepper turned and walked a few steps off from Rhodes, focusing her attention elsewhere. She was obviously fine, as feisty as ever. Well, as feisty as she could be anymore. She'd been more like a zombie than the girl he had used to know, ever since Stark's disappearance. A zombie dressed all in black who enjoyed infiltrating terrorist organizations all across the state.

Gene abruptly turned away and clinked over towards the edge of the roof that he had been standing on. There was obviously no need for him to be here. Pepper hadn't found anything of interest, and neither she nor Rhodes seemed to need _or_ want his help. Not that either of them even knew that he was also the Mandarin, instead of just ordinary Gene Khan, but it was the principle of the thing.

Reaching for the glistening golden ring that encircled one of the clawed fingers of his glove, he prepared to summon the energy from inside its powerful orb and transport himself back to the Tong headquarters. But before he could, a shining streak of red and silver blasted past the edge of his vision, just out of sight.

He spun around, eyes rapidly scanning the surrounding darkness and muscles tense for a fight. He couldn't have imagined seeing whatever he had just seen. He was the mighty Mandarin, and he did _not_ imagine things.

…Did he?

Something flashed past again, behind him this time. Gene reacted instantly, whirling around with surprising speed and readying his set of rings to fire upon the threat at hand. Yet before he could make even a single move to defend himself, a red and silver arm made entirely of metal shot out of the darkness and slammed forcefully into him.

Gene flew backwards in the air, unable to stop himself from spinning helplessly. He crashed into the ledge that encircled the very edge of the roof, and concrete crumbled into a pile of debris under his heavy suit. This violent action reduced the protective barrier to almost nothing, leaving the all-powerful Mandarin vulnerable.

He scrabbled frantically against the loose concrete, struggling to get his body into an upright position. The sound of passing traffic in the street below sounded much too loud as he imagined plummeting to the ground below and being run over by a passing vehicle. He cried out as the armor scraped and grinded against the concrete, nearly sending him over the edge.

Barely managing to regain his balance, he got back to his feet as fast as possible, taking deep breaths to calming his racing heart. That had been way too close, and he wasn't really in the mood to die right then and there. He had better things to do, and several appointments that he needed to keep.

None other than the missing Iron Man stood before him, blue circle in the center of the armor gleaming brightly from the darkness. The color theme was a little different now, after two whole years, but Gene definitely knew the hero when he saw him. "Iron Man," he uttered in his deep voice, eyes involuntarily widening behind his helmet. _She's done it. Potts has actually __found__ Stark._

Instead of answering, the suit of armor flickered with blue light, kind of like static electricity, then vanished. The stunned Gene heard a set of running footsteps heading away from him, then the sound of the suit of armor speeding off into the night sky. _Some sort of stealth technology. Impressive,_ he thought privately, staring wordlessly at the spot where Iron Man had once been standing.

_Well. So Potts has finally discovered where Tony Stark has been hiding out these past few years. The media would just eat this up if they knew. Especially if I told them that he and Iron Man were one and the same. _Gene looked back towards where he'd last seen Rhodes and Potts, but both had seemingly vanished. _But I don't need to tell them._ _Yet. I can probably use this to my advantage,_ he told himself, almost believing that this was the real fact that he had decided to keep the information to himself.

The Mandarin vanished in a flash of yellow light, back to the Tong base to contemplate his next move.

* * *

Rhodey dropped through the hole and landed on his feet with a sturdy clanging sound of metal against metal. Pepper peered down into the darkness after him, his hulking shape orange in the blackness, thanks to her night vision goggles. She tensed, preparing to leap through after him, then froze.

Unexpectedly, the sound of a deep shout echoed to her ears, sounding somewhat muffled. She moved in a slow circle, scanning the rooftop stretching out around her. _What the heck was __that__? _she thought suspiciously._ Tony?_

"Pepper?" came Rhodey's questioning voice, magnified by the helmet of the War Machine armor.

Pepper shook her head, blinking rapidly as she turned back towards the hole. It shouldn't matter if someone else was in trouble. She had to convince Rhodey that she had seen Tony, and find him again. That was all that mattered right then. Rhodey would believe her before the night was over. She was definitely going to make sure of that.

Flattening both arms to her sides, Pepper dropped through the hole, landing silently on the balls of her feet. She ignored the stinging of her feet and aching of her legs from the long drop, then hurriedly intensified her night vision scannings. "See, Rhodey? If this is a laundromat, then I'm Whitney…Stane…"

Pepper trailed off in shock. Gone was the long corridor stretching out with nothing inside it but particles of dust. It was now tidily filled with washing machines and several coin-fed driers. Metal racks protruded from the walls, the plastic bags that were dangling down, full of neatly-pressed suits and dresses. "But…none of this was here before," she whispered with horror, trying hard to keep breathing.

Rhodey clanked over to her. Even when he was wearing the armor, she could tell from his body language that she'd already lost him. He didn't believe her. "Pepper, you must have–" he began uncertainly.

"I didn't imagine all of it, if that's what you're thinking!" Pepper shouted, spinning to face him, hands planted firmly on her hips. "None of this was here earlier; there was just a long hallway with a bunch of cameras in it! Then I went down another hallway, and found this metal staircase! And then I tried to get through a door with some retinal scanner, and–"

"Pepper," Rhodey said gently, putting one massive hand on her shoulder. "I know that Tony's disappearance has really torn you up, but you can't keep–"

"Can't keep what?" she screeched back at him challengingly. "Looking for him? Actually trying to find where he vanished to, if he's still alive? Because that would be a _heck_ of a lot more than _you're_ doing, Rhodey!"

Rhodey visibly flinched under the mammoth armor, taking a step away from her. "Pepper, I _am_ trying. I've still got that website, and I go out every single night in the War Machine armor. Isn't that enough for you?"

"No. It isn't," Pepper growled furiously, clenching both hands into tight fists. "If you really cared about Tony, you'd be doing something. Like _I_ am."

"Oh, really? Like breaking into laundromats and getting myself knocked out in the middle of the night? And like running away from my family without telling them anything, leaving them worried about me for two whole years? I don't really see how that's helping anything," Rhodey ground out in a rigid voice.

Pepper was shaking, eyes so full of tears that she could barely even see. "I _hate_ you," she snarled viciously, in a dangerously low voice. "And I never want to see you again!" She threw herself up through the hole in the roof, grasping at the edges of it with her gloved hands. Agilely swinging her body upwards, she landed in a smooth crouch, ignoring the sound of Rhodey calling out her name.

Taking off across the rooftop, she threw herself over the ledge. She was suspended in midair for several breathtaking seconds, then landed hard on the roof across from the laundromat. The impact shook her to the core, but she ruthlessly kept going. She momentarily noticed the broken ledge, but quickly forgot about it as she launched her body onto the next roof.

Behind her, a lone suit of armor stood the roof she had left behind, silhouetted by the moon, shoulders slumping.

* * *

Stepping out of the closet, Rhodey listened to the comforting sound of the hidden door sliding shut as all its powerful locks clicked together. Heaving an enormous sigh, he shuffled wearily to the bedroom door and pulled it open. Stark exploded into the room, tail wagging frantically and long tongue lolling out. The young hero spared his dog an exhausted pat on the head, then slumped onto his rumbled bed.

The small dog whined at him, turning and wandering sadly back into the rest of the apartment. Rhodey didn't spare his neglected pet a second glance, sagging onto the worn blanket and closing his eyes. He normally would have gone after Stark and given him dinner, maybe sitting down to check on his website, but he was feeling too drained to do anything, both mentally and physically.

How had things with him and Pepper gotten so bad? True, they'd had that big fight two years ago, the one that had driven the painful wedge between them, but it hadn't ever been this bad. She had never told him that she _hated_ him. But the real question was, did she really mean it? He really didn't hate her, that was for sure.

But if she really _did_ never want to see him again, then there really was no help for the two of them as friends.

* * *

Pepper jolted awake the next morning, having trouble remembering where she was. She blinked several times, then her eyes slowly focused on the interior of the armory, ablaze with brilliant lights she had forgotten to turn off the night before. She frowned groggily up at the ceiling, tangled in her blankets, trying to figure out what had woken her up. After going out on late night missions, she generally didn't wake up until after noon. And it had to be much earlier than that, if her instincts were right.

Then she realized what her wake-up call had been as her cell phone shrilled merrily. Someone was trying to get a hold of her. It had to be Rhodey, since he was basically the only one who knew her latest cell number. And she wasn't about to talk to him, after their fight last night. But she really needed to silence it, so she could slip back into blessed sleep…

Fumbling around on her bedside table, Pepper grasped blearily at her cell phone, pulling it close to her eyes. She squinted at the tiny numbers and letters that were displayed on the screen, then groaned under her breath. _"Khan, Gene calling. 322-4775." _She'd completely forgotten that he also knew the new number, thanks to Rhodey. And knowing him, he was probably going to keep calling every single day until she finally answered.

Heaving a sigh, Pepper flipped the phone open and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked grudgingly.

"_Potts. Get ready, and meet me at that café down the street from the Tomorrow Academy."_

"What?" Pepper demanded. "Why should I?"

"_Because I'm going to take you out for breakfast."_ Gene said this as though it was common knowledge, like she was stupid for not figuring this out.

"And why should I say yes?" Pepper sat up, smoothing absently at her wild hair, which was sticking up crazily from the crown of her skull.

"_Because…I have something to tell you. Something that could prove to be important," _Gene said, in a tone of voice that sounded actually sincere for a change. _"It's about…well, it's about Stark."_

Peppe felt as though the breath had been torn from her lungs, and her hands shook numbly around the phone. "Wh…what?" she managed to choke out, clearing her throat to speak better. "Are my ears failing me, or did you just say that you know something about Tony?"

"_The café. Out front. Ten minutes."_ The line went dead, buzzing faintly in Pepper's ear. As they always did on TV, she actually pulled the phone away from her ear and gawked at it. Was this really happening? Or was it only a cruel dream conjured up by her twisted imagination? Something created to taunt and torture her mentally?

"But if this were my imagination, I definitely wouldn't have Gene Khan as the one with all the answers," she acknowledged aloud, throwing back the covers and climbing to her feet. She didn't bother changing out of the rumpled t-shirt and jeans that she had dressed in the night before, pulling on a pair of white tennis shoes.

Seconds later, the door leading out of the armory was swinging slowly back and forth, quietly knocking against the wall.

Several more seconds later, the forgotten cell phone resting on the bedside table rang, sounding loud in the heavy silence. The caller ID read, _"Rhodes, James calling. 549-2332."_

* * *

Exactly twelve minutes later, Pepper raced breathlessly up to the café just down the street from her former school. Gene, of _course_, was already sitting at one of the wire tables, looking coolly annoyed. His elbows were braced on the surface of the table, fingertips touching lightly in a temple before him. As she dropped into the seat before his, smoothing back her wild tangle of hair, he cleared his throat, slowly lowering his hands. "You're two minutes late, Potts," he announced serenely. His dark eyes bored uncannily into hers.

"I had to run most of the way here. No money to catch a cab," she admitted apprehensively, still trying to catch her breath. "Now, what do you know about Tony?"

"Do we have to get into that right away?" Gene raised a single hand, signaling a waiter.

"_Yes_," Pepper ground out crossly, thinning her eyes into dangerous slits. "That's the whole reason I _came_ here. I'm not just here for my health, you know."

"Really? I thought you came here for breakfast." Gene turned in his seat to face the waiter. "I'll have two egg, bacon, and biscuit platters, and two glasses of orange juice," he said importantly.

"Coming up right away, sir." The waiter nodded, then hurried away into the café to report the pair of orders.

Pepper crossed her arms over her chest as Gene faced her again. "Who told you what I wanted?" she demanded hotly.

"No one. But everyone likes eggs and bacon, so I assumed that you wouldn't mind a free meal very much," he said pointedly, not seeming to notice the fire in the eyes of the redhead sitting across from him. Or maybe he did, but he didn't really care. Either way, Pepper wasn't very fond of his arrogant attitude.

"Okay, _Khan_. I've had just about enough of this. Either tell me what you know about Tony, or I'm leaving," Pepper snapped threateningly, making a move as though to get out of her chair.

"But you just got here. Surely you don't want to spoil your whole day before breakfast by prematurely leaving my company." Gene nodded his thanks as their waiter sat down twin glasses on juice, then hurried on again. "Besides, if you'll just have breakfast with me, I'll take you home in my ride." He gestured towards the black limo parked illegally on the corner. Strangely enough, no one seemed to really care about this fact.

"I don't want you to take me home," Pepper told him firmly. The truth was, she would have loved a ride back to the armory, and in a limousine no less. But she couldn't afford to let Gene see the old Iron Man armory. Not only would he wonder how she got such a place to stay, but he would know where she lived, and come to bother her at all hours of the day and night. Or so she believed. And it was probably true.

"Oh. Hmmm. You like your exercise, I suppose." Gene raised his glass and took a sip of juice, never taking his eyes from her. There was something sparkling in their stormy depths, something that Pepper wasn't sure she liked. It was like he knew he knew something she didn't, something important. And there was something _else_ there, which she couldn't quite figure out.

To give herself an excuse to hide from these all-knowing eyes, she quickly followed his example and sipped from her glass. "So…did you make up whatever it was you 'know' about Tony, or is it actually true?"

"What, you think I lured you here with some clever ploy?" Gene looked wounded. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"I know...to try and trap me into telling you everything I know or something? Or maybe Rhodey paid you to get information from me, to try and make me forgive him." As she spoke the harsh words, a pang of guilt twisted within her. Rhodey had only been trying to help her, and she had been the one to shout at him. He really didn't need forgiving; it was her who needed the forgiveness from him.

"Don't be absurd." Gene's lips curved up into his specialty: a smug smirk. "And did you and Rhodes have a fight or something?"

"That's none of you business," she answered frostily.

Gene shrugged. "Fine. I suppose you're ready to know what I know?" he inquired indifferently.

Pepper nodded abruptly, hands shaking as she clutched at her glass.

Leaning forward in his seat unceremoniously, he affirmed quietly, "I saw Iron Man."

Pepper gasped, face turning ashen. She _wasn't_ crazy! Someone else besides her had seen Tony last night! Then she realized what she had just confirmed for Gene: the fact that there was some connection between Iron Man and Tony. She forced herself to take a sip of juice, choking on it as it went down the wrong pipe.

"Are you all right, Potts?" Gene asked with some concern, looking like he might climb from his chair and come around to give her CPR.

Pepper hurriedly waved a hand to discourage him from doing just this. "Fine, I'm fine," she managed to wheeze out.

"What happened there?" Resuming his blasé air, he leaned back once more and locked his eyes on her. He studied her carefully as though she were a fish swimming around in a glass bowl.

"Just went down the wrong pipe, that's all." Coughing, Pepper cleared her throat and put her glass down. She suddenly wasn't feeling very well, especially because of the way Gene was looking at her. "What?" she demanded accusingly.

"What do you mean?" Gene questioned, arching a brow.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Gene resumed his temple of fingers at his chin, resting his elbows on the tabletop. "I was just wondering why you didn't seem more excited. I told you that I saw Iron Man yesterday."

"Yeah, I know," Pepper said carefully, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "But…I thought you called me here to talk about _Tony_."

Gene snorted. "Oh, please. I know that Tony Stark is Iron Man. I'm not stupid. Besides, it can't be a coincidence that both Stark and Iron Man vanished at the exact same time."

"Keep your voice down!" Pepper hissed, glancing around furtively.

"That's what I thought." Gene sounded all too pleased with his own intelligence.

"How long have you known?" Pepper wanted to know, though she still didn't feel too comfortable with this conversation.

"A while," Gene admitted offhandedly.

"And exactly how long is that, in _Gene_ time?" Pepper continued to prod at him for answers.

Before he could even answer, the waiter was back, placing two steaming plates before them. "Here are your orders. Enjoy." He sauntered away, supposedly leaving them to enjoy their meal. But Pepper didn't really want to eat at the moment. She still wanted to know just how long Gene had known Tony's secret. She felt kind of like she was betraying his memory by talking about it with someone outside the trio of friends that she, Tony, and Rhodey had once been.

"The perfect breakfast, I'd say. It'll keep us going most of the day," Gene stated conversationally, picking up his fork.

Pepper rolled her eyes, about to make an annoyed reply. But somehow, out of all the people strolling past on the sidewalk outside the café, she noticed that one figure clad indifferently in a red shirt and jeans. Her eyes widened in shock as they ran over the familiar spiked brown hair, dark blue eyes, and perfect lips that looked like they might smirk at any moment.

It was Tony.

**

* * *

**

Please review, and I'll try to update much sooner this time! And believe me, I've got a whole lot planned for the next chapter… ;)


	4. Chapter Three: Showdowns

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N: **Thanks so much for all the reviews, everybody! I tried to make this chapter a bit longer than normal to make up for the wait, and I hope you like it. :D

* * *

Chapter Three: Showdowns

Swaying in her seat and suddenly feeling very lightheaded, Pepper nearly fell out of her seat. She clutched at the edge of the tabletop to keep her balance, the violent motion tipping over her glass of orange juice and causing it to spill out across her lap. And yet she hardly noticed, staring at the casually strolling Tony Stark, who didn't even seem to notice her.

"What? What is it?" Gene turned around in his seat, trying to see what had shocked Pepper so badly. His face visibly paled, and his dark eyes widened at the sight of the young billionaire calmly walking past the outdoor café. "_Stark_," he managed to croak out, trying to contain his absolute shock to a bare minimum.

Pepper leapt up from her seat, ignoring the orange juice that was slowly soaking through her jeans. Also ignoring the look that Gene gave her as he quickly pushed his own chair back to stand, she rushed towards Tony. He was already passing the café, nearly about to round the corner and disappear down the busy sidewalk. And Pepper wasn't about to lose him this time, not when she was so sure that she wasn't hallucinating.

After all, Gene had acted like he saw Tony, too.

"Tony! Tony!" Pepper cried, shoving annoyed pedestrians out of the way until she reached him. "Oh my God, Tony. Is that _you_?" she demanded, even though she knew for a fact that it _was_ him. She could probably recognize him with her eyes closed. Gene jogged up behind her, but she paid him no attention as Tony slowly turned to face her.

His expression was nonchalantly blank, the look strangely alien on his normally cheerful face. "Ah, Potts. And Khan. Fancy meeting you two here; haven't seen you in _ages_."

Gene exchanged an incredulous look with Pepper, who ignored him. She swallowed hard, trying not to let Tony's indifferent attitude get to her. "T…Tony? Where have you _been_?" she demanded, voice annoyingly squeaky. She tried to ignore that he was acting kind of different. It had been two years since she'd seen him last, after all. People changed over time.

"Oh, here and there." Tony waved his hand calmly to dismiss the question, winking at a blonde woman in a tiny mini skirt as she pranced past him. "Nowhere special, really."

"You…you've been gone for two whole _years_, Tony!" Pepper cried, feeling her eyes starting to water. She tried her best to hold the unwanted tears back, concentrating on the situation at hand. After all this time, Tony was finally back. And the last thing she wanted to do was bawl in front of him.

Quickly, she mentally scanned over several possibilities as to what could be causing her supposed friend's weird behavior. "Do you…do you have amnesia or something? Maybe you were kidnapped and hit on the head, then held against your will all this time! Or maybe you, well, aren't really Tony! You could be a robot in disguise, or a clone, or…or–"

"Don't you _ever_ shut up?" Tony snapped unexpectedly, scowling darkly at Pepper. Seeing the fire burning in his blue orbs, her lips snapped back together with an audible popping sound. "I'd forgotten how much you could talk, Potts, and it _isn't_ very pleasant to recall like this."

Pepper blinked furiously, knowing that the tears she could still feel brewing in her eyes were now visible. She could see Gene looking at her with some concern at the corner of her vision, but didn't give him the satisfaction of meeting his gaze. He probably only wanted to make fun of her or something. It's what he had always done when they were younger.

"Well, better be off. I would say it was nice to see you two again, but…" Tony turned to wander aimlessly away from them, without another word or even a second glance.

Pepper, biting down hard on her lower lip in an attempt to keep from collapsing in a sobbing heap on the concrete, reached out and grabbed his sleeve. Tony stumbled to a graceful stop, not bothering to spin all the way around to meet her watery stare. "Tony, _please_," she pleaded brokenly. "We were all so worried about you!"

Tony jerked roughly away from her, sleeve moving upwards on his wiry arm with the violent motion. Pepper's hand flew to her mouth with a startled gasp as she gawked at the horrible scars marring Tony's shoulder. They twisted cruelly across his tanned skin, tearing deep into the flesh.

Gene, who had so far remained silent, couldn't keep his eyes from widening marginally. "Stark, what _happened_ to you?" he asked, unable to keep the shock from showing in his voice. It looked like the former wearer of the Iron Man armor had endured unimaginable torture, probably at the hands of whoever had presumably kidnapped him two years earlier.

"I don't think it's any business of yours. _Either_ of yours," Tony added pointedly, glancing towards Pepper. The latter was rapidly getting close to dissolving in a weak puddle on the concrete, as her legs were shaking almost as much as her lower lip was.

Gene's brow furrowed into a deep frown as he saw the obvious emotional turmoil that Pepper was going through. He couldn't hold his thoughts back any longer, not when he was seeing her like this. "Don't you understand everything she's gone through for you since your disappearance? Everything she's done? She changed her very personality to become better, spent all her time putting herself in danger while searching for you. How can you not _see_ that?"

"Gene," Pepper said tiredly, unable to bring herself enough energy to even stand up straight. She only cared that Tony was being shouted at, even though the arrogant look on his face hadn't changed under the harsh assault of words. "Don't."

"How can you say that, Pepper?" Gene spat, turning to face her again. "This isn't Tony Stark, no matter how much he resembles the real thing. The real Tony would care about how much pain he's put you through."

Instead of looking hurt and sheepish, as Gene had intended, Tony looked almost bored with the conversation. "I'm very much real, Khan," he said in a dangerously low voice. "And if you had any sense, you wouldn't make me mad." Then he rocked back on his heels, stuffing both hands into his pockets. "Well, it's been interesting seeing you two again. I doubt we'll do it again very soon, so enjoy the memories of this meeting while they last."

He nodded briskly to the two of them. "Potts. Khan. I have important business to take care of, so I must be off." And then he was gone, as unexpectedly as he had come, walking imperturbably off down the crowded sidewalk.

Pepper's eyes widened, and her outstretched hand clasped at depressingly empty air. "Tony–" she breathed weakly after him, skin visibly becoming a few shades paler. Gene watched her warily as she swayed, then plummeted towards the ground. She collapsed in an untidy heap on the concrete, immediately out cold.

Gene dropped into a crouch beside her, gently slapping one pale cheek. "Potts. Potts, wake up. Pepper." She gave no signs of stirring, so he heaved a sigh and grabbed her by the arms. Standing once more while keeping a firm grip on her arms, he pulled with all his strength. She was surprisingly heavy for such a petite girl, which he discovered while trying to heave her off the ground, with little luck in the matter.

All the people strolling by were slowing down to gawk at the dramatic scene, but none of them stopped to offer their assistance. Gene wasn't surprised, and was actually rather glad that this was the case. He was the Mandarin, and he couldn't afford to have anyone's help. Even if he actually _really_ needed it right at that moment.

Grunting, he pulled again with all his strength, heaving Pepper into his arms. He stared emotionlessly down at her peaceful face, which looked so much younger when she was unconscious, then turned and started walking in the direction of his limo.

So much for their breakfast date.

* * *

Only a few minutes later, Gene closed the limo door behind him and settled himself into the leather seat. He stared momentarily over at Pepper, whom he had dumped unceremoniously across the seat beside him, then leaned forward and pressed the button for the privacy screen. The bulletproof glass slowly lowered, revealing his hired driver. The older man glanced calmly into the rearview mirror, eyebrows only rising slightly when he saw the unconscious redhead. "What can I do for you, Master Khan?"

"Breakfast ended a little earlier than expected. Now I want you to take me to the address that I'm sending to the dashboard GPS." As he spoke, Gene skated his fingers across the keypad attached to the wall beside his seat. "And go as fast as you can, got that?"

"Understood, Master Khan," the driver agreed, pressing a button to receive the address on the GPS screen.

Nodding briskly, Gene closed the privacy glass again and pulled out his cell phone. Opening it, he effortlessly pulled up his contact list and scrolled down until he found the right number. Pressing send with his thumb, he held it to his ear and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. After only two rings, Rhodey answered, his voice confused. He was more than likely wondering why the heck that Gene would be calling him. _"Hello? Gene, is that you?"_

Gene smiled grimly, then began to speak...

* * *

Rhodey stared at the computer screen of his laptop, brow furrowing as he tried to work out the answer to the next question on his semester test for college. Was it just him, or were the answers getting harder and harder to figure out? Or maybe it was the stress of his fight with Pepper starting to get to him.

He was currently in the local library, trying to tune out the sounds of people talking and typing frantically on their own computers. He would have stayed home to study with his dog, in the restful peace and quiet of his apartment, but he didn't want to risk getting another call from his mother. He didn't feel like being any more depressed at the moment, especially when he was trying to get good grades on his very important test.

At that moment, his phone vibrated intrusively inside his pocket. He leaned over and pulled it out, staring incredulously at the small screen. In gleaming letters, a name that he never really expected to see was displayed. _"Khan, Gene calling. 322-4775." _

Frowning, he pressed send to answer the phone. "Hello?" he asked warily, not exactly sure what Gene could want from him. "Gene, is that you?" he added uncertainly.

"_Yes, Rhodes. It's me. Are you at your apartment?"_

"…Not at the moment," Rhodey responded carefully. He still wasn't sure what Gene's motives were. Surely he wasn't calling just to be polite and catch up on recent events. He hardly ever called, except to get Pepper's newest phone number. And _surely_ she hadn't already changed it again. "Why?"

"_Because I'll be there in approximately seven minutes. It's about Pepper."_ The line went dead, and Rhodey stared down at the small device for several seconds. Then he pushed it quickly into his pocket, closed his laptop and picked it up from the table, then raced out of the library.

* * *

Obadiah Stane stared serenely out the window of his office, contemplating the spectacular view of New York City. He enjoyed thinking like that. _His_ window. _His_ office. _His_ view of the city. Even after two whole years of such thoughts, he still couldn't get over the fantastic potential behind them. As a top business owner of inventive new weapons (the blueprints of these secretly taken from Howard Stark's collection, while the public wrongly assumed that _he_ was the brilliant mind behind the creations), he was always looking for more potential to add onto his spotless public image.

Reaching for the glass goblet resting on the surface of his desk, he raised the rim to his lips and took a generous sip. Two years today, since that wonderful day when the Controller had blessedly rid him of Tony Stark. He enjoyed celebrating the anniversary more than his own birthday.

The phone on the opposite corner of his desk rang shrilly, pulling Stane from his reminiscing of the torture he had inflicted upon Tony before handing him over to A.I.M. A smile was still on his lips as he pulled the phone towards him, thoughts of how the broken _child_ had cried for mercy as he was dragged away, tears soaking his bloodied face. "Stane speaking," he said into the phone's plastic receiver, a hint of cold joy lighting up his normally emotionless voice.

"_Hi there, __Daddy dearest__."_ None other than his daughter's sneering voice echoed out of the phone, assaulting his eardrums.

Suddenly out of his surprisingly good mood, Obadiah frowned and set his goblet to one side. "What do you want, Whitney?" he asked flatly. There was no love lost between him and his brat.

"_Just thought I'd let you know that I'll be dropping by in less than ten minutes,"_ she told him cheerlessly, for some reason seeming to take pleasure in the fact of his nearly audile disgust. _"We have some things to…discuss."_

"If this is about my orders to keep you at home last week after you attempted to destroy my laser blaster project, there's nothing to discuss," Obadiah told her resolutely.

"_Oh, don't worry about that, Daddy. I'm __so__ over it." _Her tone of voice definitely argued with her seemingly pleasant words. _"This is about your _newest_ project. The so-called 'Thunderbolt Lances'."_

"What _about_ them?" Obadiah roared, crashing his fist thunderously against the surface of his desk.

"_They're too powerful. Human beings shouldn't even possess this kind of technology yet. They have the potential to kill hundreds of people each day if you continue testing them as dangerously as you have been. You need to shut that project _down_."_

Obadiah didn't listen to another word, slamming the receiver down and nearly cracking its plastic cradle. His brow furrowed darkly as he tried and failed to keep his temper in check. Whitney was too much like her mother, acting like she had to be in control of every situation, whether it concerned her or not. She needed to stop meddling in his affairs, or he would be forced to take care of her. Permanently.

The phone rang again, annoying trills piercing his fragile calm. He savagely grabbed the phone and pressed it to his ear. "Damn it, Whitney! I'm _not_ shutting down the Thunderbolt Lance project!"

There was a brief silence, then a voice that was most definitely _not_ Whitney Stane answered. _"This is security officer McDonald, sir. Calling from sector one point seven. We have a bit of a problem."_

Obadiah straightened his tie, taking a deep breath as he did so. He couldn't afford to ruin his image. Every outburst had the tendency to leak out to the public, no matter who heard it. "What sort of _problem_?" he enquired suspiciously.

"_It's a, er, code twenty-nine, sir."_

"How the hell am I supposed to know what that means?" Obadiah demanded tiredly. "I can't keep up with all the codes you people assign to various situations."

The sound of McDonald swallowing hard was audible even over the phone. _"Er…a code twenty-nine, sir. That means…the return of…Tony Stark, sir."_

Stane pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for several seconds, then replaced it again. "I almost thought that you said Tony _Stark_ was back," he said in a dangerous tone.

"_Y…y…yes, sir. That's right, sir. We've just received the call. I'm afraid it's very true, sir. A…a…and he was said to be heading in this direction, sir."_

Feeling the blood draining from his face and his hands starting to shake, Obadiah slammed the phone back down, cutting off the call. He swallowed hard to fight the uncharacteristic panic, then rummaged frantically through a desk drawer. Pulling out a crumpled sheet of paper that was coated with a layer of dust, he studied the disorderly scrawl for several moments. Not even a name was recorded, only an eight-digit phone number to contact the Controller.

Obadiah had not once dialed this number, even in two years. He hadn't particularly cared what happened to Tony, only that he was gone for good, with no strings attached. The company was his, and that was all that really mattered.

With a pounding heart, he picked up the now-cracked phone receiver again and dialed the number. Lifting it to rest against his ear, he waited through six rings. Then an automated voice spoke: _"The number you have dialed is not a working number. Please try again, and be sure that you have the correct digits."_

A fake. The number he'd been given was a _fake_. Obadiah's eyes bulged with pure rage, and he angrily threw the phone across the room. It crashed against the wall, exploding in a storm of millions of tiny pieces. But Stane was beyond caring, inhaling several deep breaths while pondering how best to get his revenge of someone he couldn't even contact.

"Mr. Stane. I'm told you rang?" came a highly unexpected voice from behind him.

Obadiah spun in his seat, fingers twitching towards the alarm button implanted in the bottom of his desk, then froze. The man was more than familiar, and was tastefully dressed in an expensive suit with a brilliant yellow tie to accent its dark color. His hair was tastefully combed back from his forehead, and his hands were clasped behind his back as he stared peacefully out the glass wall. This was almost too much like that first meeting they had shared two years earlier. The man's chilling first words still echoed in Obadiah's mind. _"Mr. Stane? I'm told you have a little…problem."_

"The Controller," Obadiah ground out through tightly gritted teeth, hands clenching into angry fists as he got to his feet.

"Quite right. I'm pleased to find that you still remember our little meeting," the Controller replied pleasantly, turning around. He still looked exactly the same, so neat and tidy that he looked like he never did any real work with his hands. But then again, neither did Obadiah. Though this statement was actually quite true for him.

"How could I forget?" Stane asked drily, then settled down to the grim business at hand. "Now. _Why_ have I just heard that Stark was sighted heading this way?"

"Why indeed?" the other man answered absently, a cold smirk curving his lips into an upwards position.

"Don't play games with me, Controller," Obadiah snapped. "I'm not really in the mood."

The Controller studied his fingernails absently, pausing to polish them against his silk tie. "I'm not playing games with you, Mr. Stane. The time of our deal has run out, as of today."

"What are you blithering about, Controller? What time? You never mentioned any _time_!" Obadiah shouted, trying to ignore the sweat he could feel beading on his forehead.

"Oh, but I did. Check the back of my…card."

Slowly, Obadiah turned over the crumpled paper with the Controller's supposed contact number written across it. There, in the tiniest size of writing possible, was written four short sentences and a signature, written under a heading that tended to give anyone who read it the faintest traces of apprehension, _Fine print: Thank you for doing business with us, Mr. Stane. We hope you enjoyed your brief opportunity to torture Tony Stark. And for your information, our deal will expire in approximately two years, though absolutely no sooner or later. Then we will be free to do with our new pet as we wish. Pleasantly yours, A.I.M._

Obadiah's teeth gritted together again, and he choked. "Why…why, you –"

"It isn't our fault that you never read the fine print, Mr. Stane," the Controller said sinisterly. He checked an expensive leather watch that he wore on one wrist, and smiled. "Ah, look at the time. I had better run, so that Tony will have enough time to do with you as he wishes. Well…not _really_ what he wishes, that is. If you know what I mean." And then he was gone, with no dramatic flashes of light or exciting thunderclaps. He was simply…gone.

Obadiah swore loudly, throwing the paper towards the carpeted floor. Instead of making much damage, it instead floated far too quietly to land beside his chair.

As though on cue, the intercom on one corner of his desk rang a warning, and a red light flashed. The voice of his day secretary, Martha, burst from the tiny speakers. _"I'm sorry, Mr. Stane, but I couldn't stop him. Not legally, anyway. He's far over eighteen now, and this company is legally his. He can do what he pleases with it. He's on his way up in the elevator!"_ she cried frantically.

"Who? Who are you talking about?" Obadiah demanded, dread beginning to grow in the pit of his stomach. He had a sinking suspicious just who Martha meant.

"_Tony Stark, sir. He's come to reclaim the company."_ The line went ominously dead, and Obadiah swore again.

Right then, the door exploded open and slammed deafeningly into the wall behind it. None other than Tony Stark was framed in the doorway, looking a little older and rougher around the edges, and yet still the very same.

"Get out of here! Or I'll kill you!" Obadiah threatened wildly, glancing urgently around the room for some kind of weapon he could use against the young man. When Tony didn't budge, he tried another tactic, using a dark voice this time. "You know I can, Tony. Don't you remember the time we spent together before A.I.M. took you? The sonic whip tearing into your flesh, sending blood spurting against the walls? The tears you cried when I handed you over?"

If Obadiah was expecting a reaction, he didn't get one. Tony simply strode into the room, heading for the desk. He passed Obadiah without a second look, sweeping one hand across the desk's surface and sending various papers and tiny (stolen) prototypes to the carpet with a muted thud.

Obadiah didn't waste time trying to reason with the adolescent genius anymore, instead thinking hysterically over ways to stop him. "You can't do this!" he yelled.

"Oh, but I can, Stane." Tony spoke for the first time, folding his arms across his chest and staring Obadiah down with a piercing blue stare. "Stark International is my company, and always will be. Even if you abuse me and hand me over to terrorists. Now get out before I call the police and tell them that little story, Stane."

"But…but you can't!" Obadiah stuttered, gaze flitting anxiously around the large room as he tried in vain to think a way out of the situation. "You can't take this company from me, Tony Stark! I _refuse_ to allow you!"

Tony smiled ominously, nonexistent warmth not exactly reaching his eyes. "But you can't stop me. So don't even try, Stane."

* * *

Whitney paused for a few moments at the front desk, but the usual secretary was nowhere in sight. She couldn't remember the woman's name; she thought it might be Mary or Michele or something like that. When no one appeared, she shrugged carelessly and headed for the elevator. She didn't have time to wonder about some random woman's vanishing act; she had much bigger actions to consider. Like what she was going to say to her father to make him listen about the Thunderbolt Lances.

Stepping into the mirrored elevator, she pressed the button that was clearly marked _Stane – Office_, then turned around and studied her reflection in the polished mirror. Her short blonde hair was complimented just right by the fluorescent lighting, flowing daintily around her made-up face. Her lipstick was just red enough, and her mascara made the lashes framing her glittering eyes seem amazingly long. Added with her denim mini and sequined green top, she thought she looked just right for confronting her father about the deadly actions that his newest weapon had the potential to perform.

She turned around just as the doors slid smoothly open, and strode briskly over the metallic threshold. Her heels clicking on the shining tile, she walked past three doors and around a corner. She was surprised to find the door to her father's office wide open, and frowned. After hesitating only a second, she stepped into the office.

And was utterly floored by what she saw next.

Obadiah was shouting, which was really nothing new. Spittle was flying from his mouth and beads of sweat were standing out on his bald head as he pointed angrily around the room. And none other than the MIA Tony Stark was reclined in the leather desk chair, feet propped on the desk surface and fingers forming a temple in front of his face. He was staring darkly at the bald businessman, something deadly lurking in his sapphire depths.

"Oh. My. _God_. Is that _you_, Tony?" Whitney felt her heavily-mascared eyes widen in shock, but didn't try to curb her emotions, as she usually did. "It's been two years! I thought…I thought you weren't coming back." She glared accusingly at her now-silent father, barely holding back her hostility. She had always known that Obadiah was somehow behind Tony's disappearing act, and now it seemed that she had been right.

And God, it was good to see Tony again. It had been far too long.

Tony turned his head towards her, seeming bored. If his expression was anything to go by, he wasn't nearly as happy to see her as she was to see him. But there was something strange on his face, something…unnatural.

Thanks to the fact that she could copy appearances while wearing the Madame Masque costume, she had trained herself to pick up even the tiniest detail about someone. And this one really stood out.

"Stane Junior. Just who I didn't particularly want to see today," Tony stated blandly. "What do you want?"

"Well…I thought you would be happy to see me. It's been two whole years," Whitney felt obligated to point out.

"First Potts and Khan, now you," Tony sighed, eyes facing the ceiling above him. "Why does everyone seem so determined that I should have missed them?"

"You saw Pepper and Gene?" Whitney's eyes widened even further. "And you aren't with them right now? That's…that's unbelievable." If there was _anyone_ Tony would ever be happy to see, it would _definitely_ be those two and Rhodey.

"If you haven't got anything remotely important to say, you can go now. And take that annoying father of yours with you," Tony said impatiently, staring out the smearless glass wall, towards the city stretched out below.

Something definitely wasn't right with this situation. "Tony, what's wrong with yo–"

Tony leaned forward and pressed a button on the intercom before she could even finish her sentence. "Security, this is Tony Stark. Please come to the office and escort Mr. and Ms. Stane from the building."

"_Understood. Sir," _came the nervous voice of one of the guards.

Tony smiled, something alien behind the supposedly innocent look. "I like good service, don't you?"

"I'm warning you, Stark–" Obadiah began angrily.

"Warning me what, exactly? That there's nothing you can do and that this company is now back in its rightful hands? Don't worry, I already know all that," he interrupted arrogantly, seeming way too confident about all this.

Whitney took a step forward, trying her best to talk some sense into this strange new Tony. He was a Tony that she wasn't entirely sure she approved of. "Tony, you can talk to me. I promise that I'll try my best to make things right," she told him earnestly.

Tony laughed coldly. "You? Do something useful? Please tell me something I'll actually believe, Stane Junior."

Before Whitney could reply with something scathing, a pair of guards stepped uncertainly into the office, eyes flickering back and forth between Obadiah and Tony. "Mr. Stane, you'll have to come with us," one of them murmured awkwardly.

"I won't be forced out of my _own company_!" Obadiah bellowed.

Tony leaned forward over the desk. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Stane. Didn't you read the name on the label? It's _Stark_ International, not _Stane_. Now get out of my sight."

Still screaming threats of impending doom and destruction, Obadiah was firmly towed from the room my one of the guards. Whitney nodded calmly at the other waiting guard to show she wasn't going to put up a fuss, then turned to face Tony again. "Tony, what's gotten into you? You aren't the same guy I knew before," she said softly.

"That's truer than you'll ever know, Stane Junior. Now get out, and never come back." Tony reclined in his chair, again resting his feet recklessly on the desk again as he stared out the glass wall.

Whitney allowed the second guard to take her arm and guide her from the room, mind spinning with shock and disbelief over what had just occurred.

But at least she wasn't going to have to worry about her father creating dangerous weapons anymore.

**

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**

Please review, and I'll try to make the wait MUCH shorter next time! :D Besides, it's not really ALL my fault that you guys had to wait so long. First, I moved to a new house. Then the Internet at the new house wasn't working. Anyway, you know what to do…click that button, right over there! :D


	5. Chapter Four: Encounter

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N: **Thanks so much for those who didn't give up on this story ever being updated last time, and still continue to review. And happy new year 2010! :D

* * *

Chapter Four: Encounter

Gene staggered up the last three steps to reach the correct floor of Rhodey's apartment building, then tried to hide his relief when he saw the latter just about to unlock his door. "I could use a bit of help. For someone so small, Potts just gets heavier and heavier," he announced importantly, nodding down towards his redheaded burden.

Rhodey had spun around at the sound of his voice, and now his dark eyes were accusingly wide. "What did you _do_ to her?" he demanded angrily, taking a threatening step forward. "If you've hurt her, Gene, I'll–"

"The most I did was order her breakfast without asking what she wanted first," Gene replied calmly. "Now, are you going to let me put her down or not? Like I said, she's actually pretty heavy."

Rhodey frowned, but he nodded and turned to insert his key into the apartment's scratched lock. The lock clicked, then he hurriedly turned the knob and pushed the door wide open. Then he made himself helpful by taking Pepper's head and upper body into his arms, while Gene took hold of her legs. A woman walking down the hall gave them strange looks, but didn't stop to offer assistance.

Stark bounded out of the apartment at that moment, tail wagging welcomingly and tongue lolling out. He leapt onto his hind legs and tried to lick a disgusted Gene in the face, as he and Rhodey hauled Pepper over the threshold and dumped her unceremoniously onto the couch.

"So this is your attack dog," Gene muttered under his breath, directing the words in Rhodey's general direction. "He leaves much to be desired, though he can undoubtedly lick any burglars to death."

"Yep, that's Stark for you," Rhodey said tiredly, closing the door and pulling the shoulder bag holding his laptop off. He seemed to sense the look Gene was giving him, and glanced up awkwardly. "Yeah, he's named Stark. Not that it's any of your business," he added embarrassedly.

"I'm more of a…cat person," Gene admitted, folding his arms and leaning against the wall beside the couch.

Rhodey stared at his sort of friend, then nodded absently. "Yeah, I could see you as a cat person. They're usually pretty smug, too."

Gene arched a brow. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Rhodey changed the subject, looking with concern at the still-unconscious Pepper. "So, what happened with Pepper? Unless you knocked her out, I'm not really sure what could have happened," he admitted uncertainly. He put his laptop bag down, then walked over to the refrigerator. Pulling out a can of soda, he offered one to Gene, who shook his head with polite refusal.

"Let's just say that she had…quite a shock," Gene replied vaguely.

Rhodey took a sip from the metal can in his hand. "Don't play games, Gene. Just tell me what happened."

Gene shrugged carelessly. "Fine, I will. Pepper and I had an encounter with none other than," he paused momentarily for dramatic effect, "_Tony Stark_."

Rhodey, who had been taking another sip, choked. Coughing and gagging, soda exploded from his nostrils and went all over Gene. He dropped the can to the carpet, sending liquid everywhere, still coughing and trying to get his breath back. Stark barked with worry for his master, ears back and tail drooping.

Gene stared with unveiled disgust at the liquid all over the front of his shirt, then pounded Rhodey on the back. "Breathe, Rhodes, breathe," he said serenely, still seeming more concerned about his shirt than his choking acquaintance.

Rhodey, finally getting his breath back, coughed a final time and then gawked at Gene. "You're lying," he rasped.

Gene didn't seem all that concerned about Rhodey's dubiousness. "Not at all. That's why Pepper's unconscious; she fainted because Stark…not your dog…wasn't acting very much like himself when we met. In fact, he called us by our last names, and acted like he was a completely different person. Then he basically asked if Pepper ever shut up, flirted with a woman walking past, and walked off." He didn't mention the words he had shouted at Tony about not caring about Pepper, not thinking it was really relevant to the tale. After all, he didn't want Rhodes to think that he actually cared.

"I…I don't believe you." Rhodey sank down into an empty chair, legs suddenly giving out on him. He stared into space, eyes wide and unseeing.

"Oh, it's true, Rhodes. Very true." Gene crossed his arms again, ignoring the soda stain on the front of his shirt. "In fact, I think that from the evidence, Stark was headed for Stark International, to take back the company from Obadiah Stane. He threatened me, then said he had business to take care of and wandered off."

"Threatened you?" Rhodey asked incredulously, face pale.

"He told me that if I had any sense, I wouldn't attempt to make him angry," Gene replied casually.

"That…doesn't sound like Tony."

"I know. See my point about him acting like a different person?"

Rhodey nodded slowly. "So…you really _did_ see him?"

Gene nodded silently.

Rhodey swallowed hard, clutching the arms of his chair with his hands. Two years. That was how long it had been since he had last seen his best friend. He still remembered the horror of finding the tracking chip from Tony's Iron Man armor on the ground after he had fought the person in black. The mental pain of being unable to locate the other teen, the waiting that he had endured all this time. His feelings of despair every single time he logged onto his useless website.

Could all this really be over? Could Tony really be back?

And more importantly, would he really want to go and see Tony right now? If what Gene had said was true, wherever Tony had been all this time had changed him beyond words. He wasn't the same person Rhodey had once known, the same friend. So should he ignore news of Tony's return, and wait to see what would happen?

He frowned, thinking hard, then his decision was made. He got to his feet, grabbing the keys from where he had left them beside his laptop. "Gene, I'm going out. Take care of Pepper." He then rushed out the door without waiting for a reply and slammed it behind him. His destination was very clear in his own mind: Stark International.

Gene stared after him for a moment, then turned to look down at the happily wagging Stark. "This must not be my day, since he didn't take you with him," he muttered with annoyance. Looking down at his stained shirt again, he strode over to the sink and grabbed a dishrag. Wetting it down under the faucet, he then rubbed it against his shirt until it was soaking wet. Satisfied that he had done the best he possibly could, he turned again and surveyed the tidy apartment.

Deciding that he might as well take up Rhodey's earlier offer of a drink, he opened the refrigerator and peered curiously inside. Selecting a can of Coke, he popped the tab open and took a small sip. Then he studied his surroundings with interest, wondering what he should do next while waiting for Pepper to wake up.

He briefly considered snooping around in the War Machine armory that he just _knew_ was behind the closed bedroom door, but dismissed the thought. He would probably get another chance to do so sometime later, and he didn't feel like investigating the armor at this very moment.

Walking over to stand beside the couch, Gene stared down at Pepper, trying to ignore the playfully bounding Stark, who was currently trying to lick the leg of his pants absolutely to death.

Looking down at her, he thought over the strange feelings that he had so recently developed for her. He had been trying in vain to deny them all this time, and it wasn't really working. He couldn't deny that the feelings were growing, no matter how hard he tried.

And yet, it didn't really matter how he felt about Pepper. Not when she felt so strongly about Tony, who had miraculously returned. And if Stark (not the dog) ever came back to his senses, then he was naturally going to return Pepper's affections.

Not even the powerful suit of Mandarin armor could help him now.

Blowing a small sigh through his slightly parted lips, Gene turned and walked back into the apartment's cramped kitchen area, ignoring the panting dog right at his heels.

* * *

Rhodey forcefully shoved open the glass doors of Stark International, striding into the main lobby. He glanced around uncertainly, biting his lip. He couldn't help but notice all the elaborate changes that had been made since the last time he had visited the building. Obadiah had really gone all out since Tony had mysteriously disappeared, apparently having paid someone to lay a lush red carpet along the lobby, and there was a new surface of granite on the front desk. The windows were also now stylishly frosted.

Walking up to the desk, Rhodey stared at the unfamiliar brunette sitting behind the counter. She stared up at him with wide blue eyes, covering the mouthpiece of the cell phone she held in one hand. "I need to see…Tony Stark." He mentally prayed that Gene's instinct of Tony's alleged destination was correct, or else he was really going to look like a fool.

The woman nodded jerkily, swallowing hard. She pressed a button on the desk's control panel, apparently activating the elevator. "Y…y…yes, sir. The elevator has been preprogrammed for the office level. My name is Martha, and, um, please don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything." Then she hurriedly removed her hand from the phone and began whispering urgently into it.

Rhodey's brow furrowed deeply, then he turned and walked towards the elevator. Climbing inside, he watched warily as the doors clanked mechanically shut, then listened to the whirring of the elevator's engines as it began moving rapidly upwards.

His gaze drifted towards the mirrored wall across from him, which helpfully displayed his reflection. He looked bone tired, even to his own eyes. His dark eyes had deep circles under them, and his lips seemed to be permanently turned down in the corners. And there was something there, something strange, on his face. Something that suggested he had experienced many months of pain and depression, with too many negative emotions for such a young life.

He quickly looked away, focusing on the elevator doors as they clanged smoothly apart.

He stepped out into the plush hallway, taking a deep breath when he saw the invitingly open doorway at the end of the corridor. The office that had only minutes earlier belonged to Obadiah Stane, now allegedly possessed by Tony Stark. Then he forced his legs to walk forward, guiding him slowly yet steadily towards his best friend, the friend who had been mysteriously missing for two whole years, without any contact.

Taking a deep breath, he walked down the hallway and towards the open door of the office. The journey seemed to take an eternity, each slow step like moving through molasses. In reality, the trip to the end of the hall probably took less than a minute, though it certainly didn't feel that short to Rhodey.

Eventually, he reached the open door. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them and stepping into the office. What he saw made him stop for several seconds, heart pounding heavily inside his chest with disbelief. Gene was right about one thing at least: Tony was back. He was sitting in the padded chair behind Stane's desk, sneakered feet propped carelessly on the paper-littered surface. His fingers formed a temple before his face, and he was staring calmly out the window.

Rhodey, knees shaking weakly, cleared his throat. "T…T…Tony?" he managed to choke out, swallowing hard.

Those familiar blue eyes turned his way, Tony's hands dropping to his lap. Rhodey barely kept his mouth from dropping open, concentrating on staring his best friend in the face. The blue eyes placidly watching him seemed less carefree than they had two years ago, but maybe that was only his imagination. It _had_ been two years since they'd last met, after all.

"Ah, Rhodes. Today is starting to seem like a regular class reunion." Tony pulled his feet off the desk and stood, ignoring the various papers he dislodged to the floor with his sudden movement. "First Potts and Khan, then Stane and Stane Junior, and now _you_."

Rhodey tried his best to ignore the condescending tone in his friend's voice, concentrating instead on keeping the tears he could feel forming in his eyes from overflowing. "Tony…it's _so_ good to see you," he murmured awkwardly, then rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Tony for a hug. In fact, he was so happy to believe that his best friend had finally returned that it took him a moment to notice that Tony's arms hung limply at his sides, and that his body was completely tense.

Pulling back, Rhodey eyed his friend warily, firmly blinking the tears away from his eyes. "Tony, I…I don't understand. What's wrong?" he asked quietly, his voice cracking.

"Nothing much. Just wondering why everyone seems so determined that I actually _like_ them," Tony snapped, blue gaze now full of fire. He ignored the taken aback look on Rhodey's face, continuing scathingly, "All of you seem to think that I didn't leave of my own free will two years ago. How do you know that I wasn't trying to get away from all of _you_?"

Rhodey blinked, choking back a startled gasp at Tony's uncharacteristically harsh words. "Because…it wasn't like you to do something like that," he managed to say, still confused as to why his friend was acting like this. He had been picturing a joyful reunion, with Tony saying that he was sorry. Then, in his happy imaginings, they had gone to get Pepper and maybe even Gene, and gone out for chocolate shakes to celebrate his triumphant return from possible capture by super villains.

But that obviously wasn't going to happen.

Tony sneered at him, the cruel look alien on his normally cheerful features. "But _isn't_ it, Rhodes? How do you know that I haven't permanently changed into the person I've been suppressing from you all these years, after my little vacation? Don't you ever remember a time when I seemed cold or indifferent from you, like I wasn't the true friend you supposedly knew so well?"

Rhodey could feel doubt creeping into his mind now, but hurriedly tried his best to banish it. "Tony, let's, um, try and get past all this," he pleaded. "I want you to meet Stark, he's my dog, and maybe come out to eat with Pepper and I. We can, you know, catch up a little." He rushed on, trying to ignore the cold look on Tony's face. He hadn't even reacted when he'd heard the name of Rhodey's dog. "And…I want to show you the War Machine armor. I built it in your honor, Tony, to take care of the city until you came back. I know it's not as amazing as Iron Man, but I thought that maybe I could–"

"Oh, I've heard all about your little _dress-up games_, Rhodes," Tony interrupted, lips once again twisting into a brutal sneer. "And I have to say that I'm _not_ impressed. All you've done is battle weak and stupid thugs who wanted a steal a bit of money or kidnap some precious celebrity. If you've done this city any good at all, I can't see it."

Rhodey felt as though he'd been verbally slapped, and staggered backwards from Tony. His mouth was suddenly very dry, though his eyes were actually pretty wet again. "But…I meant to honor your memory, Tony," he sputtered, trying to ignore the mental pain he was experiencing after Tony's bluntly uncaring words.

He waved one hand flippantly, leaning against the desk that was placed conveniently behind him. "Yeah, whatever. In my opinion, all you've done is _dis_honor my memory, Rhodes."

Rhodey choked, the hurt increasing inside him until it was all he could feel.

"And that little brat we used to run around with, Potts." He rolled his eyes heavenward, shaking his head grimly. "Now she's certainly something, alright. Running around in that little get-up of hers, trying valiantly to 'find me'. She nearly came close yesterday, when she found me preparing for today at that laundromat. I had to have her knocked out, which was pleasant enough. She actually shut up for a change."

Rhodey's eyes widened in shock. "Are you telling me that she _did_ find you yesterday night?" he demanded, shoving the pain of Tony's malicious rejection to the back of his mind to think about later. "I didn't believe her, and we had a fight…" His voice trailed off as he realized just how wrong he had been to not believe her.

"Oh, yes. She found me, all right. I distracted her while one of my colleagues knocked her across the back of the head. Great fun." Tony carelessly examined his fingernails, then polished them against the front of his shirt.

Rhodey had had more than enough. Hurting him was one thing, but mentally and physically hurting Pepper was another matter. He took three steps forward before Tony could react, and shoved him hard with both hands. The arrogant owner of Stark International toppled over onto his back, taken off guard. He landed with a hard thump on the carpet, then stared up at Rhodey disdainfully.

"_Don't_ talk about Pepper like that _ever_ again, Tony," Rhodey said bravely, trying his best to seem unafraid. "She's my friend, and she used to be yours, too. So don't say things like that about her, understand?"

Tony was back to his feet in the blink of an eye, and rushed Rhodey. Before the dark-skinned teen could even blink, he found himself flying through the air, limbs flailing. He landed hard against the wall by the door, plaster cracking under the force of his impact. Ribs feeling bruised, he slid to the floor and moaned softly.

Tony suddenly towered over him, panting with suppressed rage and eyes flashing. When he opened his mouth, his voice was as hard as uncut diamonds. "Like I told that idiotic Khan, don't bother threatening me, Rhodes. It won't turn out well for you, because I'm a completely different man than when you last saw me."

Rhodey didn't speak, staring silently up at his supposed friend. His chest ached, and not only because of his bruised ribs. It felt like his heart had literally been torn out of his chest. This couldn't be Tony. Why would he do something like this, say all those horrible things? He wasn't himself.

"Now, get out of this building," Tony added, after pausing melodramatically. "I don't want to see you, Potts, or anyone else who claims to be my _buddy_ ever again. Do you hear me?" Tony leaned dangerously down into Rhodey's face, the latter tightly clenching his fists to keep from doing or saying something that he might later regret. "I'm putting all of you on the watch list of Stark International. If the guards see you anywhere near this place, you'll be sorry. Got that?"

When Rhodey still didn't answer, Tony leaned back and strolled causally over to the window. He clasped his hands behind his back and gazed out the spotless glass at New York. "Now, leave this place, Rhodes. Don't attempt to come back, or you'll be unimaginably sorry."

Rhodey stared darkly, eyes narrowed, at Tony's casual stance. After waiting for several seconds, he slowly climbed to his feet, holding back a grimace of pain, then limped out the open doorway. He paused and looked back, but Tony still hadn't moved from the window. Heaving a weary sigh, Rhodey walked slowly towards the elevator, not looking back.

* * *

Gene was calmly examining the plans for War Machine battle armor on Rhodey's laptop (it hadn't been too hard to figure out the password; it had only taken him about thirty seconds or so), but was interrupted when the couch cushions squeaked loudly. Gene quickly closed the laptop and set it to the side, getting to his feet. Pepper was sitting straight up, legs hanging over the edge of the couch. Her hair stuck up wildly, and her eyes were wide and just a little bit crazy. Even Stark, who had previously been asleep beside Gene's chair, didn't try to venture over and lick her.

"Potts? Are you all right?" Gene asked warily, brow furrowing deeply as he stared at her.

Pepper turned slowly to look at him, an unimaginably sad expression on her freckled face. "I…I was having this really weird dream…" she said slowly, voice cracking slightly as she spoke.

Gene didn't bother trying to mislead her. "It wasn't a dream," he stated gravely.

Her eyes widened. "You mean…Tony…he's actually…"

"Stark is back." Gene glanced quickly at Rhodey's dog to make sure that he wouldn't respond to his name, and was very relieved.

Pepper clapped both hands to her mouth, and seemed to be having trouble breathing. "Oh God…"

Gene walked quickly over to her, sitting down on the couch. "Pepper, you remember that he wasn't exactly himself, right? The way he talked to you?"

She didn't appear to actually be listening, her face very pale. "He had all those scars on his arm," she whispered to no one in particular, her hands slowly floating down to rest on her lap. "And he seemed so…afraid."

Gene seriously couldn't believe what he was hearing. "There was nothing 'afraid' about Tony Stark," he couldn't stop himself from saying. "He was a complete _idiot_." Unfortunately, Stark decided that they were talking about him and waddled over. He put his head on Gene's lap, ignoring his look of pure disgust, and panted happily.

"Didn't you see his eyes? There was something…off about them," Pepper murmured, frowning thoughtfully. "I could see fear in them, Gene. Even if he didn't act afraid, he was."

Suppressing an uncharacteristic eye roll, Gene forcefully shoved Stark away. The dog, unperturbed, bounced right back and started licking Gene's leg and wagging his tail. "Potts, you don't understand what I'm saying. There's something wrong with, er…" He broke off and looked guardedly at the dog who continued to lick his leg, needing an excuse to leap onto his lap, "..._Tony_. He wasn't really himself today. And he's been missing for two years. Don't you think that's a little strange?"

She continued to ignore him, instead glancing around the tidy apartment. "This is Rhodey's apartment. Where is he?"

Gene frowned, but didn't try to lie to her. "He went to Stark International. To see _Tony_." He glanced at Stark, who had thankfully moved on to licking the couch instead of his leg.

Pepper got to her feet, and Gene quickly did the same. "I'm going to go after him," she blurted out hurriedly. And then she was gone, racing out the door and slamming it behind her.

Gene was left alone in the apartment with only Stark for company, and he stared down at the dog for a few seconds. "Interesting," he said to no one in particular, quiet voice ringing out in the sudden silence of the apartment. Trying to ignore his sadness at Pepper running out on him for the idiotic Tony Stark, he flipped the switch to turn out the lights and walked over to the door. Giving the apartment one last look, he locked the door then stepped out into the hall and pulled it closed behind him.

Then he walked down the hallway alone, headed for his limo.


	6. Chapter Five: Battle

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N: **Thanks so much to those who reviewed! :D

* * *

Chapter Five: Battle

Feet pounding on the pavement, Pepper ran. She raced along the sidewalk, lungs burning and chest aching, dodging pedestrians who were too rude to leap out of the way as she barreled towards them. Just up ahead, she could see the towering building that was Stark International, high above all other buildings in this area of the city. She kept her gaze firmly focused on the noticeable landmark, not exactly watching the ground moving swiftly beneath her feet. So she didn't see the crack in the sidewalk until it was too late, and ended up on her hands and knees, blood oozing from her torn palms.

"Pepper!" came a familiar voice. She looked up just as Rhodey rushed out of the crowd and knelt beside her, gingerly helping her to her feet. He gawked at the blood coming from her wounded hands, and swallowed hard. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine," she answered impatiently, rubbing her bloody hands against the sides of her pants. "So, did you see him? Did you see Tony?" She couldn't keep the anticipation out of her voice, staring excitedly at him as she waited for his reply.

Rhodey shifted awkwardly, not meeting her gaze. "Er…yes. I saw him. And I, um, wanted to apologize. For not believing you when you said you saw," he glanced furtively over his shoulder, like he thought someone might be eavesdropping on them, "_Iron Man_. He confessed that you'd seen him, and well…" More like casually announced it, but Rhodey didn't mention that little fact.

Pepper waved her hand, carelessly dismissing his apology. It didn't really matter to her that he hadn't believed her then. He believed her now, and that was what mattered. "Well, how is he? Why aren't you with him right now? Why didn't you call me?"

He swallowed again, hard. "Pepper…Tony isn't exactly himself right now," he said softly, taking her by the arm. He guided her out of the middle of the sidewalk, getting them out of the way of the many New Yorkers rushing busily past.

"What do you mean, he's not himself?" she demanded, jerking her arm away from his grip and planting both hands on her hips. "Did you see Tony or not?"

Rhodey shook his head grimly. "Don't you remember how he treated you outside that café?" he asked quietly.

"He didn't…how did you know about that?" Pepper wanted to know, frowning suspiciously. For a moment, she wondered if she'd somehow gotten amnesia when she'd fainted.

"Gene told me," he answered. "But the point is, Tony isn't the same guy we knew two years ago, Pepper. He's changed. And I'm not exactly sure it's for the better."

Pepper's face fell, and she felt slightly nauseous. "Tell me what happened," she ordered in a hard voice.

Looking nervous, Rhodey did as she asked and gave her the abridged version of what had happened between he and Tony. By the time he finished, Pepper was staring at him with a horrified expression plainly written upon her face. "…and then he told me not to come back, or I'd be sorry. Something about putting a watch out and setting the guards on me if I was sighted too close to Stark International." Rhodey paused, regret heavy on his voice when he spoke again. "Then I…left."

Pepper's jaw tightened, lips forming a white line. "Are you sure that was Tony?" she asked coldly, wild thoughts of clones and aliens and being possessed filling her head. "He sounds like a completely different person."

"From what Gene told me, it was the same when you two met him," Rhodey replied solemnly.

"How could he treat you like that?" Pepper raged, both hands clenching into fists. "He's your friend, your best friend! And he was acting like you were nothing more than dirt under his arrogant feet!"

Rhodey looked with surprise at the slight redhead; he had never imagined that he would hear her talking like that about Tony, not after he had become her obsession these past two years. But then, before his friend had been kidnapped, he had never imagined that would happen, either. "Pepper–"

"I mean, at first I thought that maybe he had been changed by whatever had happened to him while he was missing. But even after being through a trying experience, Tony would _never_ treat you like that, Rhodey!"

"No," he answered quietly, bowing his head.

Pepper hesitated, biting her lip. "Did you see…did you see his scars?"

"What scars?" Rhodey asked her, surprised.

"I grabbed his arm when he started to walk off from Gene and I, and his sleeve came up. There were scars all over his shoulder, and probably his back. Even Gene got a little freaked out by them." Pepper shrugged, seeming to be calming down a little as she slipped back into the hard shell she had become since Tony's vanishing act. "Those definitely weren't there before he went missing. We would have noticed."

"No, they weren't," Rhodey agreed musingly. Now that he was getting over the disbelief of what Tony had said and done to him, he was starting to feel just the littlest bit concerned. Something was up with Tony, and whatever it was, it wasn't good.

Pepper was frowning, seeming to be deep in thought. "Rhodey, I'm going to break into Stark International. Tonight," she said unexpectedly, in a tone much too loud for Rhodey's peace of mind.

"_What_?" he yelped, quickly glancing around to see if anyone was nefariously listening in on their conversation. "Pepper, you can't! Not only is that impossible, but it's also very _stupid_. Tony is _Iron Man_, remember?" He didn't say it, but it was obvious what he was thinking: Tony could crush her with a single blast from one of his repulsors.

"I've changed a lot since the old days, Rhodey, and I've learned a few tricks of my own," Pepper said firmly, raising her chin defiantly. She made no attempt to lower her voice, despite Rhodey's obvious dismay at her loud tones. "Besides, you're forgetting something very important. Tony may be Iron Man, but _you're_ War Machine. Don't you think that evens the odds a little?"

Rhodey didn't really like the way this conversation was going. Even if he _was_ War Machine, he didn't have nearly as much experience as Tony did with the Iron Man armor. And for all he knew, Tony could have learned a few new tricks while he was away. "Pepper, breaking into Stark International would be suicide!" he hissed, trying in vain to get her to see his point of view on the dangerous situation.

"Yeah, but it's our only chance, Rhodey. Our only chance to find out what happened to our best friend, what changed him. Why he…disappeared." Her voice broke, and she awkwardly cleared her throat and glanced away.

Rhodey couldn't stand the look of raw pain on the redhead's face as she stared blankly down at her shoes, and swallowed hard. Ignoring thoughts of Iron Man beating him into the carpet, he cleared his throat. "All right," he said, already feeling like he'd said the wrong thing as he said it.

Pepper's head snapped up so fast that she nearly gave herself whiplash. "What did you say?" she asked quickly, unable to keep the excitement from her voice.

Rhodey smiled slightly, overwhelmingly pleased to hear the enthusiasm the _old_ Pepper had constantly shown in her voice. "I said all right," he repeated, feeling a little braver just to see the ecstatic look on his friend's face. He hadn't seen her look like that for a _very_ long time. "I'll do it. I'll– " he paused and looked furtively around them one more time, " –break into Stark International with you tonight."

Pepper squealed, throwing herself at him and nearly strangling him as she gave him a big hug. Then, seeming to realize what she was doing, she pulled back and straightened her rumpled clothes as best she could, composing herself. "Thanks," she muttered darkly. "Now, why don't we go back to your place and make plans for tonight?"

Rhodey nodded, trying not to feel deflated at how quickly she had slipped into her hard shell again. He started walking in the general direction of his apartment, Pepper softly announcing battle plans and speaking of him hacking into building schematics of Stark International on his laptop.

Neither of them noticed the dark-haired figure, wearing a pair of absurdly yellow pants, who stood in the shadows mere feet from where they had previously been talking.

* * *

Darkness had fallen over New York City. The only thing holding back the blackness was the hundreds of thousands of lights sparkling all across the city. Most people tried their best to stay within the reach of these lights, to better their chances or staying safe from muggers and the like. But two figures didn't, choosing instead to fly high above the city, then land on the roof of Stark International.

"Alarm sensors deactivated," Rhodey said, his voice strangely distorted and deepened by the armor's disguise mechanisms. He frowned at the transparent building schematics that had popped up on the inside of his helmet, initiating a scan for life signs inside the building. "Okay, it looks like nearly everyone's gone home," he reported to his black-clad companion. "We've got five security guards in all, spread out on various levels. And it looks like Tony's inside his office."

"He seems overly confident," Pepper muttered darkly, touching the side of her visor and activating her night vision. She didn't bother telling Rhodey that she could just as easily pick up the life signs as he could, not wanting to damage his fragile male ego. "Stane always had guards to spare on both the night and day shifts."

She swallowed hard at the thought of Tony, heart started to pound against the inside of her chest. They were _so_ close to seeing him again. And despite how he had acted when they'd met outside the café, and how badly he'd allegedly treated Rhodey, she still ached to see him. The pain in his eyes that morning had been all too clear to her, even though Gene denied seeing it. Something was wrong, and she was going to help him. No matter what.

"Yeah, well, he's Iron Man," War Machine answered bluntly. "He doesn't really need the extra guards." Pausing, he turned around to look at her, armor clanking quietly. "Pepper, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course I am," the redhead snapped. "This is _Tony_ we're talking about, not some psychotic super criminal."

"That's not what it seemed like earlier," he muttered bitterly.

Pepper didn't answer, ignoring his negative comment. "According to these schematics, the defenses are weakest on the third floor," she told him, scanning the plans that showed up on the inside of her visor. "So let's go." Leaving him behind, she raced lightly towards the edge of the roof, feet pounding on the concrete. She heard him take flight behind her, just as she launched herself off the roof, activating her jetpack seconds later.

It only took about five or six seconds to drift down to the correct window, following a red mark on the inside of her visor. Then she aimed a strong kick at the bulletproof glass, at the same time activating the lasers that were imbedded in the leather bottoms of her boots. The glass shattered easily before her kick even came close to hitting the window, and her momentum carried her through the gaping hole and into the building.

Pepper landed in an easy crouch, regaining her balance, then straightened. War Machine landed behind her with a solid-sounding thud, posture easily distinguishable, even through the bulky armor, as somewhere between irritation and concern. "Come on; this way," she said, to keep him from making some absurd remark about her safety. She'd been doing this for two whole years, and was pretty sure that she knew what she was doing by now.

The pair of them walked through the dimly-lighted corridor, Pepper with a catlike grace and Rhodey with metallic clanking sounds. Neither of them said anything for several minutes as they navigated their way through the maze-like tunnel, aiming for where the elevator was supposedly located.

"Don't you think it's a little strange?" War Machine finally asked in his deep voice.

Not bothering to look over her shoulder, Pepper asked softly, "What?" Her thoughts were mostly on finding Tony right now, so she didn't pay much attention to his cryptic question.

"That an alarm didn't sound, when you broke the glass earlier. You did it before I could jam the signal, but nothing happened."

"Maybe the alarm system has faulty wiring in this sector," she replied, still not giving her reply much thought. Who cared if the building needed an alarm upgrade? What mattered right now was finding Tony and talking some sense into him.

"I doubt it," War Machine responded, a frown very obvious in his voice. "Pepper, I think something could be…there's a guard coming this way, just ahead," he said abruptly, concentrating on the task at hand. He had only just picked up the guard's life sign, and it was blinking steadily right around the corner in the hallway before them.

"No problem. Just grab my arm," Pepper said quickly, reaching at and pulling Rhodey off to the side of the wide corridor. Then, making sure that she was still touching the armor, she used her free hand to touch a button on her opposite arm. Both she and Rhodey's images flickered, then unexpectedly vanished, unable to be picked up by the naked eye. This cloaking technology, adapted from the one Iron Man himself had possessed, had gotten her out of several sticky situations since she'd first adapted and installed it seven months earlier.

A guard appeared from around the corner, his expression teetering on boredom and apprehension. He paused, eyes sweeping over the area, then reached for a small device dangling from his belt. Touching the screen, he looked at it for several seconds, then looked up again. Pressing a button, he then spoke into it, "Sir, I'm picking up a disturbance in Sector 8.7-3. The readings are coming from out of my position, an outer wall, by the looks of it. Do you want me to investigate, sir?"

"_No. Return to your original position and hold your post until I otherwise say so. No matter what happens. And tell the others to do the same."_

Pepper felt a sudden jolt as she recognized Tony's voice, and looked towards where she knew the invisible War Machine was standing at her side.

"Yes, sir. Understood, sir," the guard said politely. Stowing the device back into his belt, he muttered something unsavory under his breath and walked back down the hallway, out of sight.

Pepper waited until his footsteps faded away, then deactivated the cloaking device. Taking her hand from the now-visible War Machine's arm, she swallowed hard. "That…that was…" she began in a shaking voice.

"Tony. I know," Rhodey finished for her, not sounding very happy.

As though on cue, the faint lighting above flickered once then went out, plunging them into absolute blackness. If it hadn't been for their night vision, both of them would have been hopelessly lost in the void of darkness.

"I think he knows we're here," War Machine stated flatly, flexing his mechanical arm.

Pepper shot him a warning look, then started walking again. "We're nearly to the elevator," was all that she said.

They reached the elevator in only a few minutes, finding the doors standing wide open. A faint light flickered inside the lift, and Rhodey's sensors deduced that emergency power had been rerouted to the elevator, to keep it running even though all the other lights were out.

"Do you think he's waiting for us?" Pepper asked, feeling a wild excitement brewing inside her as she stepped without pause into the waiting elevator.

"He's waiting, all right," War Machine mumbled bitterly, following suit. "He's setting us a trap, Pepper. Can't you see that?"

She didn't answer him as the doors hissed softly closed, and the elevator began to move upward at a rapid pace. The button freshly marked _Stark – Office_ gleamed a bright yellow, showing where their final destination was intended to be. It was plainly obvious that Tony was already busy making changes, even though he had only arrived to claim the company as his own this morning.

Pepper exhaled a shaky breath, leaning against the wall as she suddenly felt weak and nauseous. This was it. Tony was waiting for them just a few floors above, and she could finally be reunited with him. After two years (she definitely wasn't including the encounter earlier that morning; it had to have been some kind of mistake), she was going to be able to hug him and tell him about all the feelings she'd tried so hard to conceal when they'd been 'just friends'. It would be kind of awkward with Rhodey there, not at all like she'd imagined it all this time, but she would have to make do.

The elevator finally came to a stop, after what felt like an eternity, the doors gliding smoothly apart. Pepper was the first one to step out into the hallway, which was just as dark as the rest of the building. She immediately scanned the area ahead as War Machine joined her, brow furrowing. "I can't pick up Tony's life sign, much less his heat signature," she said worriedly.

"Neither can I," War Machine answered gravely, starting forward. "The office must be sealed against possible breaching with this technology; we'd better be really careful, Pepper."

Pepper didn't answer, hurrying past him and feeling her heart rate increase as she neared the invitingly open office door. She didn't even notice the fact that it was actually hanging off the hinges, walking without hesitation through the doorway. She looked eagerly around the room, and was disappointed to find it empty. The large room was completely tidy, except for a few rumpled papers on the ground by the wastebasket.

Rhodey clanked over to the light switch and flipped it up and down several times. The faint clicking sound seemed abnormally loud in the eerie silence. "He's shut off the main breaker," he muttered to Pepper, though she didn't appear to be listening. Mentally cursing himself for agreeing to do this, Rhodey walked over to the desk. He looked down at its cluttered surface, though nothing seemed to really jump out for evidence of what was going on. All the crumpled papers seemed to belong to Stane, along with the half-filled crystal goblet of wine.

"Pepper," he began, face plates sliding easily away to reveal his face beneath them, "I'm really starting to think that this is a bad idea. I don't think that we should–" He was alerted by the familiar purring of Iron Man's armor only seconds before something slammed heavily into his back. He felt the horrible jarring even through his own armor, then flew head-over-heels through the air. He slammed into the wall with a thunderous crash, sheetrock crumpling off and falling to the carpet.

Hearing Pepper's loud gasp of shock, Rhodey forced himself to get back to his feet, even though his body was aching from the hit. Courtesy of his night vision, he stared at the new Iron Man armor, which was utterly unfamiliar to him. The design was basically still the same, though slightly more bulky. And the red was now accented with glistening silver instead of gold, making the suit seem very alien.

"Tony!" Pepper cried, oblivious to Rhodey. She took a hesitant step forward towards the silently hovering suit of armor, then something made her stop. She simply stared at the armor, not entirely sure what to do next.

Iron Man's face plates slid away, revealing Tony's face. His expression was cold, twisted with pure hatred. Something inside Pepper lurched, and she took a frightened step away from him. But she needn't have worried, because his attention was focused completely on Rhodey. "Pathetic," he snarled maliciously. "You're worse than I imagined you, Rhodes. You can't even last _two seconds_ against me."

Pepper tightly clenched her fists, feeling her nails digging into the skin even through her gloves. "Stop it," she said in a hard voice, surprising even herself when her voice didn't shake. Tony turned to look at her, something glittering in his sapphire depths. But it most certainly wasn't fear, which Pepper knew for a fact. "Tony, what's wrong with you? You're acting really different. And how could you do that to Rhodey? He's your best friend–"

"Don't you _ever_ shut up, Potts?" he angrily ground out, repulsors gleaming threateningly.

"Be quiet, Tony," Rhodey snapped warningly, seeing the way Pepper's face fell slightly at his cruel words.

Pepper swallowed hard, determined to continue. She had to get through to him, make him see reason. "Tony, aren't you happy to see m–"

Tony didn't wait for her answer, rushing her in a blast of blue light. She only had time for a strangled squeak before he crashed into her, sending her flying into the glass wall. It cracked behind her limp body as she slid down to the floor, moaning in pain. Dark blood that looked almost black stained the carpet around her as she fought to stay conscious.

Rhodey stared incredulously at her, and felt something snap inside him as he noticed her cracked visor. With a roar of anger, he flew right at Tony, powerful fists extended in front of him. He didn't bother with using his repulsors, because he wanted to beat Tony into a bloody pulp all on his own for what he'd done to Pepper.

Iron Man turned casually at the last second, holding out a single hand. A blast of blue energy fired from the repulsor imbedded in his metal glove, hitting Rhodey head-on. The latter cried out in pain, toppling backwards in the air and hitting the carpet with an ominous thud that echoed throughout the building. The floor shook precariously, but miraculously held itself together.

"Will you never learn, Rhodes? I told you to stay away, but you just _didn't listen_." Tony walked nonchalantly towards Rhodey, who was struggling to pull himself up from the floor. "At least that coward Khan has enough sense to leave me alone. But did you? Of course not. You have no idea what you're dealing with here, Rhodes. No idea at all."

Rhodey suddenly found another reserve of strength, and flung himself up again. He launched himself at Tony, managing to catch him by surprise, and crushed him to the floor. Landing on top of him, he aimed blow after blow at Tony's chest. Absurdly enough, Tony didn't struggle. He instead started to laugh, especially when Rhodey didn't aim anything at his exposed face. Somehow, Rhodey just couldn't hit his best friend's face, even after all that had happened.

After nearly thirty seconds, Iron Man moved in a blur of red and silver. He hit Rhodey in the face with a single fist, and Rhodey screamed in agony as he felt blood spurting from his broken nose. He landed in a crumpled heap, and vaguely heard Pepper weakly calling his name.

Tony laughed cruelly, taking his time in getting up. He strode slowly towards Rhodey, armor clanking menacingly with each unhurried movement. "Oh, Rhodes," he said in a hateful voice, leering down at the bloodied young man who had once been his very best friend. "The beauty of this is, I was going to let you live. Even Potts, and maybe even Khan. But you had to come after me, to be heroic and try to figure out what was going on." He smirked, leisurely studying his right repulsor, which gleamed brightly. "But now I've got no choice. I'm going to have to kill both of you now. No way around it, I'm afraid."

Pepper, ignoring the burst of pain in her side, threw herself at Tony's back. As he was so busy gloating, she caught him unaware. Wrapping her arms around his throat, she kicked at him with all her strength, legs flailing wildly.

Tony stiffened with anger, then a buzz of tangible electricity burst from his armor. The electrical current ran through Pepper's body, though she only allowed a gasp to escape through her tightly clenched lips. Arms strangely numb and not obeying her mental commands to hold on, she dropped from him and landed with a small thump on the floor.

Iron Man chuckled without humor, then pulled back and leg and savagely kicked the wilted body at his feet. Pepper cried out as she flew through the air and landed on the desk, papers scattering everywhere. The goblet, which had been shaking precariously, shattered loudly, dark wine dribbling down the side of the desk. Pepper, seeing black spots before her eyes, blinked rapidly and tried to stay awake.

"Leave her alone!" Rhodey managed to choke out, trying to get to his feet. His legs shook feebly, then he dropped back into a pile again, unable to get up.

Ignoring War Machine's feeble attempt at distracting him from his goal, Tony walked quickly over to the desk. Pepper stared up at him through her shattered visor, disbelief very evident in her eyes. How could this be happening? He wouldn't, he _couldn't_–

Rhodey tackled Tony from behind, both of them slamming into the desk and barely missing Pepper. It exploded into pieces beneath them, Pepper going flying as the other two crashed mightily into the floor. Both aimed angry punches at one other as they rolled across the carpet, Rhodey not bothering to hold himself back this time.

This little struggle lasted nearly a minute before Tony blasted Rhodey with his repulsor again, sending him straight into the glass wall. An even larger crack spread through it, the glass making ominous creaking sounds. It was painfully obvious that the wall, even if it _was_ bulletproof, couldn't take another hit like that.

"Well? Aren't you going to get up, Rhodes?" Tony asked tauntingly, offhandedly folding both arms over his chest. "You look like you might have a few seconds of fighting left in you, however pathetic your attempts to beat me might be."

Rhodey felt like a nuclear explosion was going off inside him. His whole body was throbbing and aching, and something wet was flowing steadily down his face and into his mouth as he tried to breathe. Also, one of his eyes had started to swell shut, leaving him very vision impaired. He tried to say something, anything, to get Pepper to run for her life and leave him. But no words came from his lips, only a faint croak.

Tony laughed uproariously. "Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic," he announced, shaking his head. "Come on, Rhodes! Get up and _fight_! Be a _man_!" He aimed a kick at Rhodey's armored chest, and Rhodey gasped out loud as he clearly felt the shaking blow. Something that felt suspiciously like a rib cracked inside him.

"No, leave him alone!" Pepper cried, unable to make her voice sound as fierce as she would have liked. Tony paid her no attention, pulling his leg back to kick Rhodey again.

Rhodey struggled to sit up, and Tony stopped. Biting back a groan, he heaved himself onto his hands and knees, panting as he tried to breathe through the steady stream of blood. He squinted, trying to make the blurriness in his one good eye go away. It didn't work, so he concentrated simply on getting up. On fighting as best he could to defend Pepper from this maniac wearing his best friend's face.

Rhodey finally managed to stand, staggering weakly towards Pepper. Tony didn't attempt to stop him, though it would have been much too easy, smirking cruelly as he watched his dazed efforts to make it across the room.

Rhodey concentrated on seeming as hopeless as possible, though it wasn't actually that hard. Then, stopping a few yards away from Pepper, who stared up at him with frightened eyes, he turned as quickly as possible and fired both repulsors at Tony. The latter was caught off guard, but managed to fire his own repulsors half a second before the offensive blast hit him.

"Good, Rhodes, very _good_! Nearly caught me that time!" he cackled madly, intensifying his firing energy.

Rhodey stumbled, nearly falling backwards under the extreme strain as he tried with all his might to keep his repulsors going, to block Tony. He could feel the heat of Tony's attack leaking through his armor, and knew with a sinking heart that he wouldn't survive to see his mother again, to make up for his horrible behavior towards her.

"_Armor shields cracking,"_ a pleasant voice informed him inside the War Machine helmet. _"Exterior guards down to forty percent and rapidly dropping. Exercise extreme caution."_

Rhodey felt his arms start to shake, and knew that Tony had noticed as the attacking blast increased again. Unable to hold up any longer, Iron Man's repulsor energy ate through his own and slammed into him with the force of a freight train. Unable to even make a sound, he flew backwards and vaguely felt himself falling beside Pepper. He heard her shouting insults at Tony and pleading for him to get up and keep fighting, but couldn't for the life of him make himself move. He felt drained, and could feel himself slowly losing consciousness.

"Rhodes, I want you to know something before you die," Tony said pleasantly, taking his time as he advanced on the two of them. "You've made me _very_ angry. So now I'm going to hunt down and very slowly kill Khan. Then I'm going to do the same to Stane and Stane Junior. And I'll be sure to go after everyone you've ever cared about or known, including your _sweet_ mother."

Rhodey felt a burst of rage, but still couldn't manage to get up.

"Well, I would say this has been fun, but it really hasn't," Tony said with pleasure, raising his glove and watching the repulsor flicker as they prepared to fire. "But it has given me something to do, though. And an excuse to redecorate, I suppose. Anyway, enjoy the afterlife."

The repulsor fired loudly, and Rhodey waited to feel the agony of death. But instead, he heard a loud crash, followed by a smaller crash and finally a curious screeching of metal. Then came the sound of Tony cursing colorfully. Opening his eyes, Rhodey stared with amazement at tha Mandarin, who was sprawled in front of them with blood leaking from his mangled arm.

"What's happening?" Pepper whispered in a dazed voice, edging closer to Rhodey.

Before Rhodey could answer her, the angry Tony was aiming again. Apparently gathering a burst of strength, the Mandarin lunged backwards and grabbed both of them by the arms. There was a brilliant flash of white light, and both Pepper and Rhodey squeezed their eyes closed. Then…nothing except blackness.

Pepper opened her eyes, then gasped in amazement as she saw a sky full of coldly twinkling stars above her. She sat up, wincing in pain, then helped the bloodied Rhodey sit up as well. She saw the Mandarin, who was standing silently behind them, make a move as though to help, then pull away again.

It took the two of them several moments to get up, then Rhodey leaned against Pepper and allowed her to support his weight. He glared at the Mandarin, and the four glistening Makluan rings on his clawed fingers. Spitting blood onto the concrete at his feet, he demanded coldly, "Why? Why did you save us?" He knew that his face was clearly revealed for all to see, but didn't really care at the moment.

The Mandarin simply looked at them for several seconds without saying anything, then vanished in a second burst of light, leaving them alone on the rooftop.

**

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Thanks for reading, and be sure to drop me a review if you have the time. :)


	7. Chapter Six: Truth

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N: **Thanks so much to all of you for reviewing! And as the chapter title suggests, some answers are _finally_ going to be revealed…

* * *

Chapter Six: Truth

Whitney Stane was crouched on the roof of a building just a short distance from Stark International. Dressed in her tight fitting Madame Masque costume, she was holding a pair of binoculars she had 'borrowed' from the vault to her mask. These special binoculars not only allowed the user to see long distances, but also right through solid objects, such as walls. Which was what Whitney was, incidentally, using them for right at that moment.

She had been planning to break in after dark and try to find out why Tony had changed so drastically, why he had been acting the way he had. But she didn't have to go to all that trouble anymore. Apparently, someone else had beaten her to it.

When she'd arrived, she'd found none other than War Machine and a strange figure in black brutally fighting Iron Man in what had once been her father's office.

"Something's really wrong with Tony," she murmured, brow furrowing beneath her mask. Why else would he be fighting his best friends like this? Of course, she knew all about the trio's 'secret' identities. It had been painfully obvious that Tony was Iron Man, and after both he and the iron-clad hero had vanished, she had known for sure. And who else but Rhodey would take up the mantle of Iron Man, as War Machine? And of course, the figure in black had to be Pepper.

Swallowing hard, she continued watching as Iron Man threw Pepper against the desk, and as War Machine retaliated. She couldn't help noticing that he seemed very weak. And who wouldn't, with the beating that Tony was handing out? She got to her feet, leaning over the concrete ledge to focus the binoculars better.

Her eyes widened with shock as Rhodey was blasted into the glass wall, and it splintered dangerously behind him. She toyed with the idea of going in there and stopping Tony, but hesitated. He surely wouldn't kill his best friend…would he?

Rhodey was making his way towards the injured Pepper, seeming even weaker than he had been a few moments earlier. Now he unexpectedly spun around and blasted his repulsors at Tony. Whitney gasped, hands tightening on the binoculars, but Tony also shot a stream of power from his hands, right at the last moment. The two beams met in midair, and were held there for some time.

Whitney's free hand clenched into a tight fist as she watched, a sick feeling blossoming in the pit of her stomach. Somehow, she _knew_ that this confrontation wasn't going to end well, especially not for Pepper or Rhodey. And when Rhodey's repulsor energy gave out, causing him to fly backwards and land beside the masked Pepper, her suspicions were only confirmed.

And then, miraculously, as Tony cruelly prepared to fire, a figure in gleaming black armor appeared between him and the others. The Mandarin took the shot meant for Rhodey, and was slammed back several feet, into the floor. Whitney's lips involuntarily parted as she saw him clutch at his mangled arm, and zoomed in with her binoculars. She easily saw the dark blood leaking from his arm, and felt a sharp pang of concern.

She didn't know much about the Mandarin, much less who he was, but he was hurt. And hurt fairly badly. The blood made that much obvious. And he couldn't be as bad as she'd heard, or he wouldn't have come to save Rhodey and Pepper, she was sure.

At that moment, as if confirming her confidence in him, the Mandarin used a burst of strength to grab Rhodey and Pepper by the arms. There was a brilliant flash of light, which blinded Whitney. She cried out and dropped her binoculars over the ledge of the roof, tearing off her golden mask. Her hair returned from black to its normal blonde as she frantically rubbed her aching eyes.

Blinking rapidly, she found that she could see again. Then she remembered the binoculars she'd just dropped. Eyes going round, she crushed her mask back into place, then flung herself off the side of the building with absolutely no hesitations. Wind burned her eyes and wildly flipped her hair into her face, but she kept her gaze zeroed in on the black object falling swiftly towards the street below. If she lost the binoculars now, there would be no way to spy on Tony, no way to find out what was going on.

Her arm was close, _so_ close, and she stretched her fingers out as much as possible. Her gloved hand brushed the binoculars, as she saw the ground looming off with horrifying speed, then her hand clamped down around its cool surface, which she felt even through her glove. Feeling triumphant, she forced her mask to activate. As Iron Man, her repulsors kicked into gear and allowed her to fly back towards the rooftop.

Overshooting her goal, she switched back to herself a few feet above the building, flipping agilely in midair. She landed in a crouch at the very edge of the roof, only slightly breathless from the sudden drop.

Shaking her head to clear it, Whitney jubilantly raised the binoculars back to her eyes and adjusted its viewfinder. Tony's office snapped back into clarity again, this time looking just a bit different than it had about thirty seconds earlier. A person-sized hole was blasted right through an outer wall, presumably by the blast Tony had intended for his three foes. And Tony himself was stomping around the office in a clear rage, kicking chairs over and blasting his desk to one side. Whitney remained silent as she watched the magnificent wooden desk split like it was made of melted marshmallow, papers and prototypes flying carelessly through the air.

"Oh, Tony. What's _wrong_ with you?" she breathed, shaking her head grimly. This wasn't the Tony Stark she remembered from before.

And then, as though directly contradicting her, Tony froze in the act of preparing to blow out the glass wall. His faceplate slid smoothly back, and Whitney saw true fear in his blue eyes as she zoomed in on his face. She watched with incredulity as Tony dropped to his knees, clutching the sides of his head, mouth open in a silent scream.

Hurriedly fumbling at her belt, Whitney pressed the activation device for one of the bugs she'd planted in her father's office some time ago, to keep a close eye on his weapons plans. She next triggered the reception comm. in her left ear, and it crackled to life.

Then she heard it, and almost wished she hadn't been so determined to listen in on what was going on. Tony's scream was far from silent. The bug she had previously planted allowed the torturous sound to echo into her own ears all too well. It went on and on, and tears pooled in Whitney's eyes, overflowing down her cheeks. She made a move to go to him, even if he _had_ nearly killed his two best friends just now, but froze as the screaming finally stopped.

Tony looked around wildly, even more intense fear flooding his face, then suddenly stiffened. There was a brief and very anticlimactic flare of energy, and a man appeared in one corner of the room. Whitney's gaze combed carefully over him, taking in his neatly-combed hair and his pressed suit, which was obviously an expensive name brand. Though she didn't think the brilliant yellow tie quite suited his pale complexion. And neither did the leer of rage that grotesquely twisted his features.

"Tony Stark." The man's voice crackled over the bug with surprising precision. Whitney felt a shiver of fear run through her at that voice of his, and couldn't take her eyes away as he carefully straightened his absurdly-colored tie. Then he turned his back to her, and walked slowly towards Tony.

"P…please. Don't do this, Controller. _Please_." Whitney was appalled to see tears rolling down Tony's cheeks as he spoke brokenly, and her heart clenched. Nausea was slowly building up inside her. "Don't make me hurt them. Kill me, do w…whatever it is that you want. Just _don't_ hurt them," Tony pleaded weakly.

"Oh, don't worry about your little friends, Tony Stark. I'm not going to hurt them," the man said in a smug voice. Tony visibly relaxed, then went rigid again when the man continued nonchalantly, "_I'm_ not going to hurt them because _you're_ going to."

And then, as she listened, Whitney felt her face become a mask of horror and revulsion beneath the golden disguise she wore. She watched both Tony and the Controller, and listened to their horrible plans.

Then, as the Controller vanished once more, leaving Tony standing alone in the rubble of his office, Whitney got to her feet. She securely attached the binoculars to her belt, allowing them to dangle off, then turned and raced in the opposite direction of Stark International, across the rooftop. She ran all the way to the edge, then fearlessly leapt out into space. Her body seemed to hover there for a few seconds, then she landed jarringly on the roof of the next building, the impact shaking her entire body.

She ran on until she was halfway across the city from the building where Tony Stark was. Then she dropped to her knees and panted for air, lungs aching and chest burning. Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion, and she was still a mixture of shock and horror at what she had seen and heard.

"Oh God," she whispered. "What am I going to do?" She dropped the rest of the way to the ground, resting her back against the concrete ledge encircling the roof. Taking her mask off, she placed it with exaggerated calmness beside her, trying to keep herself in check.

But once it was off, she couldn't control herself anymore. Tears fell down her cheeks as she cried, head resting in her hands.

* * *

Gene staggered through the darkened shop, clutching his wounded arm and trying not to cry out in pain. Such a small action took every ounce of willpower that he possessed. Tony's blast had really taken a lot out of him. And even in darkness, he didn't crash into anything, because he knew the shop by heart now, after all these years. To anyone else, all the mysterious objects would have become a dangerous maze.

Blood dripped from his wound and onto the ground, but he didn't stop to clean it up. He had more important things to worry about at the moment, such as stopping himself from bleeding to death. Besides, he could always get one of his faithful subjects to take care of the mess later, if he had to.

He made his way into the back, into the secret tunnels. He could feel himself getting weaker and weaker as his steps slowed, and by now he was limping.

When he found that he couldn't bring himself to go any farther, he began unceremoniously tearing off his armor. He felt much lighter as each piece clattered loudly to the floor, the sound echoing loudly as it bounced off the stone walls.

When his body was finally free from the restraining armor, Gene was able to examine the wound that had been bleeding so much. The gash was deep and long, trailing blood all the way from shoulder to forearm. He was vaguely surprised that he couldn't actually see the bone; the gash was certainly very deep.

He started to move towards his living quarters, to find bandages and clean the wound. But he found that his legs wouldn't exactly cooperate with him. Instead, they oh so rudely gave out on him. He collapsed to the ground in a heap, finally letting the cry of pain that had been brewing inside him burst free.

Blood continued to pool on the rock floor around him, and darkness swam ominously around his vision, threatening to overcome him.

* * *

Back at Rhodey's apartment, Pepper frowned at Rhodey as he cringed theatrically away from her. "Stop it, Rhodey! This is for your own good, and you know it!" she said hotly, pressing the cotton wad covered in hydrogen peroxide a little harder than was necessary against Rhodey's cheek. He cringed as it stung a large cut from their earlier battle with Tony, but didn't make any verbal protests.

The two of them had arrived about four minutes earlier at Rhodey's apartment, still reeling from the vicious battle and the Mandarin's surprising last-minute rescue. Rhodey had achingly changed out of his War Machine armor, strewing it carelessly across the living room. Pepper had taken off her facial disguise, but remained in the rest of her high-tech gear, including the jetpack.

Pepper was still very much in shock about Tony's unexpected attack on them. She had certainly believed Rhodey's story of their argument earlier that day, but she hadn't known just how different Tony had really become since she'd last seen him, even after their chance meeting at the café. Attacking them like he had, attacking _Rhodey_, had come as a horrifying shock to her. Rhodey had been his best friend. Attacking your best friend just wasn't normal.

Rhodey hesitated briefly, his inner thoughts almost too transparent on his bloodied face. "Pepper, about what happened," he began uncertainly. "I know you're probably upset about Tony, but–"

"But _what_, Rhodey?" she snapped, taking the reddened wad of cotton from his face. She took a step away from him, ignoring Stark as he eagerly began licking her heels, stubby tail wagging almost frantically. "Tony wasn't himself; he _couldn't_ have been. The Tony we knew never would have done things like that. He must not have known what he was doing!"

"But he did. You heard him, Pepper. He was definitely Tony. And he knew exactly what he was doing."

Pepper turned away, biting down hard on her lip as she tried valiantly to choke back a sob. She wouldn't cry, not now. And _especially_ not in front of Rhodey. She had been holding her tears in all the way here from the roof where the Mandarin had left them, and she was going to keep it up. No matter what.

Rhodey, sensing her brewing despair, spoke gently. "Pepper, you know I'm right. Tony wasn't himself. Something's up with him; something bad."

She nodded jerkily, then turned sharply to continue wiping away the blood on his face. "And we have to find out what, Rhodey. We can't just…let him stay like this," she managed. "He wouldn't want to be like that. He's…it's almost like he was possessed or something."

Rhodey tried not to laugh, since he knew the situation was far too bleak for that reaction. "Pepper, Tony's not _possessed_," he told her earnestly, suppressing a grimace of pain. "There's no such thing. I…I think you've been watching too many sci-fi shows."

She angrily threw the cotton swab towards the trashcan, missing and hitting Stark in the head instead. The dog yelped pathetically and ran for cover, ducking under a chair and peering out with round eyes. "Rhodey, we've fought psychos you probably never would have believed in before we created Team Iron Man. And you still think there's no way to be _possessed_?"

Rhodey's expression was defensive. "Well…I just don't think it could be true, Pepper," he retorted. "Every single one of those psychos so far has been affected by some bit of highly advanced technology that they happened to get their hands on. It's not like we've come across someone with _real_ super abilities yet." He reached for a damp rag on the arm of the couch, and held it against his face, frowning slightly with pain.

Pepper huffed a breath, deciding not to argue with him. He wasn't going to believe her, despite anything that she said. It was useless. She took a deep breath, then said shortly, "We should warn Gene."

Taken aback by the sudden change of subject, Rhodey asked, "What?"

"Didn't you hear…Tony?" She hesitated only slightly before saying his name, trying to stay detached about the situation. She'd just pretend that none of this was happening to her; it was all _someone else's_ drama. "He threatened Obadiah, Whitney, and Gene. And since I have no idea where that particular father-daughter combo is, and I don't really _care_, we need to warn Gene. He could be in danger."

"You don't really think Tony would actually go after them, do you?" Rhodey asked, slightly alarmed. Gene wasn't his favorite person in the world, but he certainly didn't want to see him _killed_.

"Yeah. I do." It pained Pepper to say such a horrible thing, but she knew in her heart that it was true. She'd seen that merciless, maniacal look in Tony's eyes when he'd been firing upon them. He'd had that look, the look that only insane people could wear without looking absurd.

"Pepper, I don't know. I can see lots of flaws in this plan of yours."

Pepper scowled at him. "Like what?" She sat down on the opposite end of the couch, holding another damp cloth to a deep cut on her forehead. She leaned back and closed her eyes as a blur of lightheadedness swept over her.

"Well, for one thing, Gene doesn't know that Tony is Iron Man. So if we told them that Tony had threatened him while shooting at us with lasers, he'd understandably be just a _little_ bit curious." Rhodey absently patted Stark's head; the dog had warily emerged from under the chair, and sat panting at his master's feet.

Pepper cracked her eyes open. "So? There's no reason we couldn't tell him about Iron Man. Gene deserves to know that he might be in danger, and it's not like Tony would care if we kept his secret or not anymore," she said bitterly.

Rhodey was taken aback. He'd been expecting her to agree wholeheartedly, to say that protecting Tony's secret was the most important thing, above all. She really _had_ changed since their school days. "Well…" He couldn't think of any other retorts, and trailed lamely off.

Getting slowly to her feet, Pepper tossed the rag back onto the couch. "Let's go, Rhodey. You know as well as I do that it would be wrong to leave Gene in the dark," she said sternly.

Rhodey awkwardly shifted his weight, hesitating for only a few seconds, then climbed slowly to his feet. "Alright, Pepper. We'll tell him. But shouldn't we, you know, _change_ first? He gestured towards the blood staining his clothes, and at Pepper's impressive combat gear. We'll get some pretty strange looks if we just walk to Gene's place."

"No time," Pepper said hurriedly, already walking towards the door, heedless of her untreated injuries. Fiery determination burned in her eyes. "We have _no_ idea when Tony might decide to strike. Besides, this is New York City. There's people out walking the streets who look _much_ weirder than we do."

Rhodey heaved a sigh, giving Stark one last pat on the head, then got painfully to his feet. "Okay, Pepper, you win. Let's go."

* * *

Mysteriously, the door to Gene's antique shop, which he'd once mentioned buying control of from his stepfather, was unlocked, despite the fact that the lights weren't on inside. Rhodey opened the door, guiltily glancing over his shoulder at the darkened street behind them. He stepped inside as the little bell rang merrily, and Pepper stealthily followed him.

"I don't think he's here, Pepper," Rhodey muttered, for some reason feeling the need to whisper.

The redhead suppressed a snort, settling for merely rolling her eyes instead. "Gene doesn't live in this shop, Rhodey," she told him pointedly, keeping her voice to a soft murmur. "He probably lives behind it or something." Suddenly, she was uncertain. She really had no idea where Gene lived, as they'd never actually talked about it. Most of the time, she either didn't call Gene back when he left a message on her phone, or they talked only about her.

She felt a sudden twinge of guilt, but swallowed it back.

"Ow!" Rhodey hissed in pain, the sound accompanied by a soft crashing sound.

"What did you _do_?" Pepper wished that she had brought her night vision goggles with her when they'd left Rhodey's apartment, but she hadn't thought of it at the time.

"Nothing," he answered with uncharacteristic sullenness. "I just kicked a table or something."

"We have to get some lights on in here," Pepper decided briskly. "There should be a switch by the door somewhere." She walked back a few steps, shoe touching something sticky on the otherwise clean floor. She carefully felt around on the wall by the door, ignoring Rhodey's muffled complaints as he crashed into a large vase.

Fingers finally discovering the item she desired, Pepper flicked the switch up. A bright light flooded the antique shop, revealing its crowded interior. Pepper smirked as Rhodey froze, having been about to crash into a stuffed mannequin wearing a feathered hat. Then her gaze drifted towards her shoe, which was had just found another sticky patch.

Her eyes widened with horror.

Rhodey, who had been about to make a comment about how untidy Gene was, somehow sensed her shock. He turned to look at her, wincing as one of his arms brushed against an expensive-looking lamp, then froze.

Pepper cleared her throat, taking a deep breath. "I think we need to find Gene. It looks…it looks like Tony's already been here," she whispered, tearing her gaze from the pool of blood.

Rhodey felt nauseous. Even though Tony had changed so much in the past two years, he never would have thought that Tony would come to _this_. "There's more," he muttered grimly, eyes following the trail of crimson blood that led towards a door leading into the back of the shop. The blood looked almost black, even with the dim fluorescent lights shining down.

Pepper caught his eye and nodded. "Come on," she said bravely, walking forward. When she came to the door, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes for several seconds. _Please, Tony. _Please_ don't be the one who did this. I couldn't stand it if I knew you had._ Then she pushed the door open.

She and Rhodey walked slowly into the back room. It was like a cave, large and with walls made of stone. The blood continued on into the murky darkness, and they both followed the trail after a moment's hesitation.

_Please,_ Pepper whispered mentally. _Please. Please. Please. Please. Please._ She found that the words had unconsciously joined with her slow footsteps, keeping in rhythm with them. She conjured a picture of Tony in her mind's eye, Tony as he had been before vanishing. That Tony _never_ would have done this, and she prayed that he was still close enough to his old self to be innocent in this crime.

A soft noise, the sound of a shoe scuffing on stone, alerted Rhodey to a presence on his left. He instantly spun around, eyes wide as he prepared to defend himself. Pepper tensed beside him, also looking in that direction. But no slobbering monster, much less Tony in full Iron Man gear, came bursting out. Instead, as their eyes adjusted, the crumpled form of Gene Khan came into view. Along with a pile of metal, the metal appearing to be the taken-apart Mandarin suit of armor.

There were several seconds of silence, in which Rhodey took in the deep cut on Gene's arm, and the fact that he looked very battered. Then Pepper blurted out with shock, "Gene! You're the _Mandarin_!"

Gene just twisted his lips into a cynical smile.

**

* * *

**

Sorry that this chapter was a bit shorter than normal, but I thought that was a pretty good place to leave things. *grins evilly* Anyway, thanks for reading, and review if you get the time! :)


	8. Chapter Seven: Revealed

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N**: Um…surprise? Here's a new chapter!

* * *

Chapter Seven: Revealed

He walked up the sidewalk towards the building, not too quickly but not noticeably slow. He made sure not to meet anyone else's eye, mounting the large marble steps and strolling inside. The inside of the bank was a breath of fresh air after the warm temperature outside.

It was obvious that the bank was about to close, because many of the tellers had closed down and gone home. Only a few remained, finishing with the last customers of the day.

He stood in the corner, beside a potted plant, and surveyed the situation. He only paused there a few seconds before taking action. He pressed a button on the side of his discreet backpack, and the glistening Iron Man armor sprang out to cover his entire body.

Tony Stark stepped from behind the potted plant, fired up his repulsors, and started shooting. Everyone inside the bank began to scream.

* * *

Gene shook his head, still smirking at the shocked looks on Pepper and Rhodey's faces. He slowly pulled himself up onto his elbows. "I never would have figured that out, but thanks for the tip, Potts," he said dryly, in a voice lined with obvious pain.

"But…how?" Rhodey demanded in a weak voice, feeling slightly lightheaded. He'd experienced way too many shocks in such a short amount of time tonight, and wasn't quite able to wrap his head around this startling new revelation yet.

Pepper was shaking her head, ends of her hair slapping against her face. "I don't understand, Gene. How can you be the Mandarin? I mean, no offense or anything, but you're pretty much the last guy I'd ever suspect."

"That's how I've kept it secret for so long," he pointed out. "I apparently did a better job than Stark with _his_ identity."

Eyes widening, Pepper thought back to their brunch earlier in the day. It felt like an eternity had passed since then. "I'd almost forgotten. You told me at the café that you knew about Tony!"

"_What_?" Rhodey demanded. "Why didn't you tell me, Pepper?"

"I sort of forgot. A lot's happened since then," she said defensively.

"Would you two mind leaving now? I'm busy dying right now," Gene interrupted darkly. When the others turned to look at him, they saw that his small smirk had vanished, leaving behind a grimace of pain. The pool of blood around his arm seemed to have grown considerably.

"Don't be stupid. We're not going to just _leave_ you here," the redhead snapped fiercely.

"I don't see why not. You have your hands full with the Stark situation. Don't you need to go beg him to be your friends again?" he sneered, though it was evident his heart wasn't in it.

Rhodey frowned, and took a step away from the crumpled Gene. "Come on, Pepper. Let's get out of here."

"Have both of you been taking stupid pills today?" Pepper cried, exasperated. "He's just trying to get you mad so you'll leave, Rhodey. He doesn't mean it. Now come over here and help me." She bent over and grabbed Gene's shoulders. She tried her best to haul him to his feet, groaning with the strain. "Could you _be_ any heavier, Gene?"

Gene didn't answer, his face shiny with sweat.

Rhodey hurried over and easily lifted Gene to his feet. Throwing Gene's good arm around his shoulders, he glanced up and down the dark hallway. "Where can we go to get you cleaned up?"

"Down there," Gene muttered, licking his lips as he tried to make his voice come out louder. "First door on the left."

"You heard him. This way!" Pepper raced down the hallway, leaving Rhodey to drag Gene's limp body without any help. She found the right door and pushed it wide open, then stepped inside and located the light switch.

The small room appeared to be where Gene slept. A small bed with worn blankets was in one corner, while a chipped porcelain sink and medicine cabinet took up the other. There was also a small dresser, a wooden chair, and a rickety lamp, but not much else.

Grabbing a faded washcloth from the edge of the sink, Pepper wet it down as Rhodey dragged Gene into the room. He unceremoniously lowered Gene to the bed, then stepped back. Gene leaned against the wall behind the bed and closed his eyes; he seemed very weak.

Pepper hesitantly stepped over to the bed and dabbed at a cut on his cheek, which was bleeding only slightly. "Couldn't you afford more stuff, since you're the Mandarin?" she asked uncertainly. "I mean, you're in charge of the Tong and everything, right?"

He muttered something, barely moving his lips.

"What did you say?"

"Old habits die hard. This is where my stepfather let me stay after my mother died," he said emotionlessly.

Pepper frowned, unsure what to say. To fill the awkward silence, she briskly told Rhodey to get Gene a drink of water. He hurried over to the sink and grabbed a glass from just beside it, then turned the rusty facet.

"Why are you helping me?"

She shrugged, and begun carefully wiping the blood from his arm. "You saved our lives. If it weren't for you, Tony probably would have killed us."

"The question is, why did _you_ help _us_?" Rhodey handed Gene the glass of water, and he gratefully took a sip. "We may not be total enemies, but we're certainly not the best of friends."

Gene shrugged nonchalantly, grimacing when the movement caused him obvious pain. "It would have been rude to let Stark kill you. And my life would be completely boring without the drama both of you provide."

Pepper pressed down with the rag a little harder than was necessary. "This doesn't look too deep; you should be okay," she said curtly, changing the subject. "Have you got in bandages in the medicine cabinet?"

He nodded.

"Rhodey, could you hand me some of them?"

Rhodey did as she asked, then stood back and watched as she bandaged the wound. "What are you going to do now that we know?"

"Why should I do anything?"

"We could tell someone."

"I doubt it."

Pepper finished with his arm and stepped away, folding her arms. "Don't act like you're the toughest person in the world, Gene. You haven't been through everything Rhodey and I have the past two years. You didn't even care about Tony like we do."

Gene didn't answer, mutely looking away from her fiery gaze.

Rhodey's cell phone rang, and he quickly pulled it from his pocket. Checking the caller ID, he said with surprise, "It's Whitney."

Pepper scowled "Stane? What does _she_ want?"

He shrugged, then pressed send. "Hello?"

"_Rhodey? This is Whitney. I have to tell you something about Tony,"_ she blurted out, sounding like she'd been crying. "_Something bad. Oh God, I don't know how to tell you this…"_

"Whoa, Whitney. Calm down. I've got Pepper and Gene here; let me put you on speakerphone." Rhodey activated the sensitive speakers on his phone, then covered the mouthpiece with his hand and whispered, "Whitney says she's got something to tell us about Tony."

Pepper's lips tightened. "What could she possibly have to say that's even remotely important?"

"We won't know until she tells us." Rhodey removed his hand from the phone and held it up. "Okay, Whitney. What's going on?"

"_It's Tony. He's…I was watching, and I saw…"_

"Just spit it out already," Pepper ground out, irritated. Nothing that the daughter of Obadiah Stane had to say could be even vaguely worth hearing, in her opinion.

"_I saw the last of your fight with Iron Man, and–"_

"I thought you said this was about Tony," Rhodey said quickly, in his best I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about voice.

"_You can relax, Rhodey. I know all about Tony's alter ego, and I know that it was you and Pepper who were fighting him tonight,"_ Whitney insisted. _"Who else could it have been?"_

"How did you find out?" Pepper asked, ignoring the smug look Gene gave her.

"_Sorry, but it was really obvious."_

"Okay, Whitney," Rhodey interrupted, trying to move things along. "What did you want to tell us?"

"_Um…I planted a bug in the office a long time ago, while my father was still working there, so I was watching and listening after the fight. This man in a really expensive suit just appeared in the office and started to talking to Tony."_

"What happened then?" Pepper demanded, interested despite herself.

"_From…from what I could gather, Tony broke free from some kind of mental control,"_ she went on, voice audibly trembling. _"Tony kept calling the man 'Controller'. He was begging the man not to hurt his friends, and he was crying and shaking. It was the worst thing I've ever seen in my whole life."_

The room suddenly became very silent as Gene, Pepper, and Rhodey stared at each other. Pepper's legs started shaking, and she fell onto the bed beside Gene as they gave out on her. "Oh my God," she whispered, pressing one hand to her mouth. Tears pooled in her eyes, causing the room to blur in and out of focus. "All this time…the Controller…" The deep scars that she'd seen on Tony's shoulder that morning came to mind, and she bit down hard on her lip to keep from screaming.

Rhodey also felt a bit sick. All the resentment that had been building up against Tony since his reappearance had been for nothing. Tony hadn't actually done any of the things he supposedly had since returning; if what Whitney said was true, then Tony was being forced against his will.

"What happened then?" Gene asked of Whitney calmly, recognizing that he was the only one in the room who was capable of reasonable thought at the moment.

Whitney didn't answer for a minute. _"The Controller was talking to Tony about all his plans,"_ she finally whispered. "_He plans to use Tony to draw you guys out into the public. Then he's going to make Tony kill you and reveal his own identity."_

"Why?" Rhodey croaked, trying to control his jumbled thoughts. "What would the Controller have to gain from any of that?"

"_Something about how he wants control of Stark International. And after he's ruined Tony's life and secret identity, he's going to use Iron Man like a puppet. He's going to take over control of the entire country. Rhodey, I think he's completely insane,"_ she added in a small voice.

"We can't let any of this happen," Pepper managed to say, clearing her throat. "We've got to stop the Controller and free Tony."

"And how are we supposed to do that? Tony is too strong, in case you didn't notice when he almost killed both of you earlier," Gene pointed out judiciously.

"_He's right. If that Mandarin guy hadn't showed up and saved you, I don't know what would have happened,"_ Whitney spoke up.

Pepper exchanged a glance with Gene, who made no move to tell Whitney about the man behind the Mandarin mask. "So how are we going to do this? There's no way I'm letting the Controller keep Tony in his grasp any longer. Two years is too long," she said firmly, tightly clenching her fists.

Rhodey was frowning. "I never thought I'd say this, but Gene is right. The Iron Man armor is too powerful; I think the Controller must have upgraded it while he held Tony captive." He swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the horrible mental image of Tony being brutally tortured. "We're going to need some new tricks up our sleeves in order to stop the Controller."

"_Let me know if there's anything I can do to help,"_ Whitney said.

"I don't know, Whitney," Pepper said dubiously. "We'll see."

"_Believe me, I can probably help more than you know,"_ she pressed.

Their conversation was interrupted by a muffled burst of static from across the room.

Pepper jumped to attention, reaching instinctively for a small knife she kept strapped to the back of her left elbow.

"Police scanner. I've got it set for any alerts about high-powered threats," Gene explained calmly. He slowly got to his feet, grimacing, then walked to a small table beside his lamp. He pulled away a rumpled black shirt, which revealed said scanner.

"_All units immediately report to Koontz Bank and Trust. There is an armored individual destroying the building. There have been several casualties. Repeat, all units reports to Koontz Bank and Trust on fifty-second street."_

Rhodey went pale. "Tony," he realized in a whisper.

"_This is it,"_ Whitney blurted out over the phone, sounding horrified. _"He's going to try to draw you out tonight!"_

"He's _killing_ people," Pepper choked out, not bothering to hide her horror. "Rhodey, we've got to stop him."

He nodded briskly. "We will, Pepper. We will."

"What are you going to do?" Gene asked quietly.

"We're going back to my apartment to pick up the War Machine armor. Then we're going to stop Tony."

"_Good luck,"_ Whitney said quietly, sensing the severity of the situation. _"And be careful, both of you. I saw how strong the Iron Man armor is."_

"We'll be careful," Pepper said. She felt a strange surge of companionship towards Whitney. Maybe she wasn't really as bad as Pepper had always assumed; right now, she seemed pretty decent.

"Thanks for telling us everything, Whitney. We'll tell you what happens." Rhodey hung up and put the phone away. "So what now?"

"Like you said, we'll go and pick up the War Machine armor. Then we'll head to fifty-second street."

Rhodey nodded. "Okay. Come on, Pepper." He started for the door, Pepper close behind him.

"Wait."

"What is it, Gene?" Pepper turned at the sound of his voice. He had taken a step after them, but stopped to flinch in pain when he moved his arm. "If you think you need to go to the hospital, I'm afraid we don't have time to take you there. We've got to get to that bank, before more innocent people are killed."

"No, it's not that. My arm is fine." Gene shifted slightly, so that the rest of his body blocked his bandaged arm from view. "I'm coming with you."

Rhodey was quick to disagree. "I don't think so. You're hurt."

"And you don't think you can trust me." Gene made it into more of a statement than a question, arching a single brow.

"Of course not." But the brief pause before he spoke said everything.

"I can help you with Stark. You know that three of us would stand a better chance against him than only two."

"No, Gene. Stay here. Tony's our friend, and we can take care of this without any help."

Gene took another step towards them. "Think about this, Rhodes."

"I have."

"Don't be stupid! I can help!"

"I'm not being stupid, Gene. We don't need your help, especially not now!"

Pepper waved at hand at her friend, frowning darkly. "Stop, both of you. That's enough." When they were appropriately silent, she turned to looked Gene in the eyes. He stared unblinkingly back at her, his expression free of any emotions. "He should come," she said abruptly.

"What?" Rhodey demanded. "Are you really serious?"

She nodded. "We can trust him. He saved our lives, and he could have gone to any number of people and revealed our secret identities by now. But he hasn't."

Rhodey looked uncertain. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah. Now let's go."

He sighed heavily, and glanced towards Gene. "I'll be watching you."

Gene nodded briskly. "Understood."

"We need to get the Mandarin armor before we leave, right?" Pepper asked him.

"That would probably be wise."

"Okay." Pepper rushed out the door, Gene and Rhodey right behind her.

* * *

Whitney stood on the building where she'd made the call to Rhodey, hair fluttering in the wind. Her lips felt dry, and her chest tight, but she knew what she had to do.

She had to go to the bank, and help Pepper and Rhodey stop Iron Man. From what she had heard over the police scanner, innocent lives were being lost. And the Tony she knew would rather die than let that happen. She couldn't imagine what he was feeling now, when he couldn't control his own body. He was standing by and watching his own hands murder people; there couldn't be a more horrible punishment.

Reaching for her mask, Whitney carefully pulled it on. Her hair flickered from blonde to black, and her night vision was automatically activated.

She was ready, and it was only a matter of time before the others would be as well.

Now came the hard part. Stopping the insanely-powerful Tony.

* * *

They reached Rhodey's apartment around ten minutes later, rushing inside and slamming the door behind them. Stark jumped eagerly to his feet and wagged his tail, happy to finally see his master again.

Rhodey didn't have the time to pet his dog, and rushed over to the discarded pile of armor near his couch. He frantically began struggling into the various pieces, knowing they needed to hurry and get to the bank.

"This is when you should have armor like mine," Gene noted, fingering the five rings upon the fingers of one of his hands. He had simply activated them before leaving the shop, and the many metal pieces of his armor had vanished again.

"You didn't exactly share those rings with me, so how was I supposed to get armor like yours?" Rhodey grunted breathlessly, pulling on his boot jets.

Pepper was pacing, hands clasped behind her back. "Do you think Tony's still at the bank? Do you think he's killing people right now? Are we going to be too late?" She sounded more like her old self than ever, filled to the brim with nervousness over the coming battle.

Gene reached out and gently touched her shoulder as she passed. She came to a stop and stared at him. "Everything's going to be fine, Potts. Calm down."

"Easy for you to say," Rhodey pointed out. He was nearly finished, with only a few pieces remaining.

"There are three of us, and only one of Stark. He doesn't stand a chance," Gene said, sounding completely sure of himself.

Recognizing his name, Stark the dog leapt up against Gene's leg, yipping enthusiastically.

Gene scowled darkly, mentally willing Rhodey to hurry up. Not because he was in any real hurry to stop Tony, but because he wanted to escape Stark once and for all. Even if it meant running off to a battle that he wasn't very likely to win.

Rhodey slipped on his helmet, activating the gravity stabilizers installed in the armor. "Okay, I'm ready," he voiced, tone several pitches deeper than normal."

Pepper adjusted her face visor, then nodded worriedly. "Me, too."

Gene twisted one of his rings, the shining black armor magically flickering into existence around him. "Let's go rescue Tony," he said in the gravelly voice of the Mandarin. He clanked towards the door, gloved fists clenched with determination. Pepper and Rhodey quickly followed him.

This was it. The final confrontation.

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If anyone's still reading this story, reviews would be lovely. And don't worry about waiting a long time for another update, because I've already finished writing the last two chapters! (Please hold your applause. :D)


	9. Chapter Eight: Clash

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N**: Thanks so much to XxThe Penny TreasurexX, Rai Lockhart, GuitarsRLyLife95, (), BlueEyes444, LizKuchiki, mermaidangel123, and Soap Lady for reviewing. You guys are the greatest! :D

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Chapter Eight: Clash

Pepper, War Machine, and the Mandarin landed in downtown New York. Rhodey and Gene had flown, while the former had carried Pepper. The three stood just down the street from Koontz Bank and Trust, where blue flashes of light were visible on the sidewalk outside the building, and tried to prepare themselves for what was to come.

"Gene, are you sure you're okay?" Pepper asked nervously. She adjusted her black visor, trying to delay the inevitable. "You were hurt pretty badly…"

"Don't try to stall this, Potts," he rasped back at her, usual tones masked by the voice distorter inside his helmet. "Your attempts are so pathetic. And I'm _fine_."

"There's Tony," Rhodey said suddenly, sounding horrified. He pointed towards a figure just outside the bank. Iron Man, wearing a suit of armor in red and silver, fired upon the police officers and people running and screaming down the sidewalk with absolutely no mercy. His movements were cold and calculated.

"I…I don't think I can do this," Pepper whispered suddenly, unbidden tears blurring her vision. "This is Tony we're talking about! I can't _fight_ him!"

Rhodey turned to his redheaded friend, trying to stay strong for the sakes of both her and Tony. "Pepper, that's not Tony anymore. That's the Controller, for all intents and purposes. And unless we stop Tony's body right here and now, lots of people are going to die," he said firmly.

Pepper struggled for a few seconds, visibly trying to gain some control over her emotions, then nodded jerkily. "Okay. I'm…I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Her voice cracked.

"Did I just hear my name?"

All three of them spun around in surprise, and found Whitney standing just behind them. She was dressed in her Madame Masque costume, obviously ready for the coming battle.

"Whitney?" Rhodey said incredulously. "You're still Madame Masque? I thought…"

"Didn't you stop using the costume sometime last year?" Pepper demanded suspiciously, glad for the chance to briefly take her mind off what she was about to do. "That's what I heard."

Whitney just shook her head. "I couldn't just stop being Madame Masque, not with all the good I'm capable of doing with this technology. But let's not talk about that right now, okay? I'm here to help you guys save Tony."

Secretly wondering how many more secret alter egos she and Rhodey would discover that night, Pepper frowned at Whitney. Two so far, if Whitney's revelation about clandestinely being Madame Masque counted. "I'm not so sure you–" she began.

"None of you saw how Tony felt, on the inside," Whitney interrupted heatedly. She ignored the sound of an explosion from the direction of the bank; Tony had just ruthlessly blown up a police car with a single blast from his repulsors. "I did. And I'm going to do everything I can to help him get free of the Controller."

Rhodey nodded. "She's right, Pepper. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"I hate to be a bother," Gene interrupted dryly, "but Stark is headed this way."

"_What_?" Pepper yelped, spinning back around towards the bank.

Sure enough, Iron Man had apparently noticed their presence. He was flying towards them at an incredible speed, both gloved fists extended in front of them as he swiftly approached.

"Here we go," Gene muttered, tensing and clenching both hands into fists.

Tony slammed into them. He fired a blast at Whitney, hitting her head-on. She flew away and crashed into the side of a parked car. Then she fell to the pavement and didn't get up again.

"Whitney!" Rhodey cried, distracted as he stared towards where Madame Masque had fallen. Tony used that to his advantage, and threw himself at War Machine. Rhodey managed to defensively throw his arms up just in time, just as Tony slammed into him. Gene and Pepper stared as the pair grappled violently, unable to step in for fear of accidentally hurting the wrong guy.

Rhodey aimed a punch at Tony's helmet, but Tony ducked out of the way and grabbed Rhodey's fist at the same time. He casually twisted it to the left, in a direction that human arms were not made to bend. Rhodey cried out in pain, struggling to get away. But Tony's grip was too strong, and he held on without even trying. "Pathetic, Rhodes," he said scathingly. "You're weak, so _weak_. Your attempt to carry on the Iron Man mantle is almost _sad_." He paused for a few moments before continuing with dark humor, "I'm going to _really_ enjoy killing you, Rhodes."

"Tony, don't!" Pepper screamed, unable to stand by and watch anymore. She threw herself towards the pair, ignoring the sound of Gene shouting for her to stop. She tackled the red and silver armor from behind, surprising Tony so much that he lost his grip on Rhodey's arm. Rhodey fell to the ground with loud clanking noise, and didn't get up.

Pepper was determined to stop Tony, no matter what it took out of her. Even if they both died, she would stop the Controller. Right here, right now. She threw her legs around his waist, holding on as tight as she possibly could. Tony gave a bellow of rage, and began bucking like a wild bronco. Pepper gritted her teeth together and continued to hold on tightly, knowing that she would probably die if she let go.

There was only one little problem with her plan: she hadn't counted on the armor's exterior defense systems.

A sudden burst of electricity exploded along the outside of the armor, rippling painfully through Pepper's whole body. She tried her best to hold on, locking her lips tightly together, but her shaking hands betrayed her. They released their grip on the armor without so much as a mental command from her, and she dropped limply to the ground, body aching.

Gene, almost shaking with anger, threw himself at Tony. He fired a blast of energy with all five of his rings, and the brilliant display of light threw Tony backwards through the air. Tony crashed into the side of a parked car, leaving a large dent in the side of it. He stayed down the shortest of moments, then got robotically back to his feet. He seemed none of the worse for wear, except for the faint black mark on the front of his armor.

"You think you can hurt me, Khan? You're _sadly_ mistaken." Tony's mask slid away, revealing his face underneath. Sharply contradicting his harsh and uncaring words, his eyes were full of raw pain. Pepper gasped with horror, struggling to her feet, while Gene couldn't stop his eyes from widening. "I'm more powerful than either of you could ever believe. And once I kill you both, the world will be mine." He abruptly stopped talking and lunged forward.

Gene used one of his rings to form a glimmering shield of protection around himself, and Tony stopped just before crashing into it. His lips curved into a cruel smirk as he stared at the Mandarin, then he unexpectedly lunged in a blur of red to one side. Pepper was caught by surprise when Tony grabbed her and fastened one hand firmly around her neck. He held her back against the armor, fingers tightening so much that it hurt to breathe. She froze, as did Gene.

"Let down your shield and fight me, or Potts dies," Tony said pleasantly. "You get the pleasure of choosing, Khan. Your life, or that of the annoying Ms. Pepper Potts."

Gene stood frozen, staring at them. His face was hidden behind his black helmet, so there was no way of telling what he was feeling at the moment.

"Don't do it, Gene," Pepper choked out, even though it hurt her throat to speak the words.

Tony's hand tightened once again, and she clawed frantically at his glove. It didn't move in the slightest under her feeble attack. "Shut up, Potts," he said calmly. "Let Khan make the decision on his own. Let's see if he's really the _great_ friend you think him to be, shall we?"

Pepper efforts to escape slowed, and her whole body slumped limply. Gray light flickered around the edges of her vision as she fought to stay awake. She couldn't lose consciousness now, not when her life was in the Controller's hands. It was all down to Gene now, and whatever he decided would be her final fate.

"Let her go," Gene said slowly, in his deep Mandarin tones.

"As soon as you come to a decision," Tony insisted lightly. "Who will you be tonight, Khan? The knight in tarnished armor or the evil villain? It's up to you who will live."

Pepper stared right at the eye holes in the Mandarin's helmet, hoping that Gene was paying attention. Swallowing hard, she shook her head. Her meaning was very clear: he needed to let her die if he had to, as long as he stopped Tony once and for all.

Tony's grip tightened again; Pepper could barely breathe. "What's it going to be, Khan? I'm not going to wait forever."

Gene dropped the hand with all his rings on it to his side, and the shield flickered and died.

"Oh, good choice," Tony said gleefully, and tossed Pepper aside like a piece of garbage. She fell to the concrete and gasped in precious oxygen, touching her bruised throat. At the same time, Tony went for Gene, a crazed look painted across his face. He slammed into Gene, and the two rolled over and over through the air. They hit the side of a building, then fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Pepper managed to get to her feet again, swaying weakly. Her throat was burning from lack of air, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. There was no way Gene could defeat Tony on his own, no matter how hard he tried. He had to have help, and she was the only one left to provide it.

Tony slowly rose, his expression one of fury. But before he could step from the crater that had formed under him, a clawed glove reached out and grabbed his ankle. Gene held on with all his strength, which was admittedly fading considerably. He was trying his best to stop Tony from killing anyone else, even though he was steadily growing weaker.

Tony glared down at Gene for a moment, and the gloved hand holding his ankle. Then he brought his other leg around and kicked Gene soundly in the side of the head. His helmet flew off, soaring through the air, and blood spurted from Gene's nose. He fell backwards and didn't move again.

"Gene!" Pepper shouted. She started forward, frantically gazing for any signs of life in Gene's unmoving body.

Before she could get more than three steps, Tony bent and reached for one of Gene's hands. He ripped the metal glove off, the five rings glittering brightly, then tossed it away. A smile of cold victory twisting his mouth, he grabbed Gene's bare hand in both of his and crushed it. The loud cracking sound was like nothing Pepper had ever heard before, and she froze with horror.

Tony grabbed the front of Gene's armor, and heaved him into the air. Gene was gasping in pain, rivers of sweat pouring down his face. His bare hand was mangled and broken, each of his fingers sticking out in unnatural directions. His eyes darted deliriously around, seeming unable to focus on anything. Then they landed on Pepper, and she shuddered with horror as she realized that she was the last thing he would ever see. And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it; she would never be able to stop Tony in time, not when he was so powerful.

"Prepare to die, Khan," Tony growled, then held up a repulsor. "This has been delayed _far_ too long for my liking. But better late than never, I suppose."

"Pepper, look!" Gene weakly pointed at something in the distance, and Pepper whirled around to see what he meant. Her eyes widened as she recognized the Controller, who stood just a ways down the block from where the intense battle was playing out. Even from where she stood, Pepper could see the small smirk on his lips as he controlled Tony.

She heard a loud crash somewhere behind her, but didn't stop to see if Gene was okay. Instead, she slowly drew a small blaster from its leather sheath at her left side, one she only used when she desperately needed to. And this was definitely one of those moments.

Gritting her teeth with determination, she pointed the blaster directly at the Controller. She watched as the man's eyes widened in dawning realization, and the smirk slipped from his face. She knew he was undoubtedly forcing Tony to rush towards her at that very moment, but ignored the temptation to turn towards the coming danger.

A cold smile of triumph coming to her lips, she pulled the trigger. "Say good night," she muttered darkly, as the blast from her weapon hit the Controller head-on. He collapsed to the ground without a sound, a dark plume of smoke rising from his crumpled body.

Pepper lowered the blaster, emotionally exhausted, and it dropped from her unfeeling fingers. It hit the ground with a small clatter, and her shoulders slumped with relief. The Controller was finally dead. This time, for good.

That's when the screams began.

Pepper spun around again. She stared with horror for a few seconds at the sight of Tony writhing in pain on the ground. He was screaming, and brilliant sparks exploded from the armor. A burning smell filled the night.

"Tony!" she screamed, then ran to him. Ignoring the pain she received from coming into contact with the sizzling sparks, she began recklessly tearing the armor from Tony's body. He didn't resist, his struggles slowing and screams trickling off into nothing. When she finished, tossing each piece of the armor into a sizzling pile several feet away, Tony wore nothing but a burned red shirt and jeans. They were smoking, but didn't appear to have caught on fire. Every bit of exposed skin was blackened with smoke and minor burns.

"Tony?" she whispered fearfully, kneeling on the ground beside him. She dragged his upper body onto her lap, and he didn't resist. His eyes were wide open and staring, and he was completely still. His chest didn't rise and fall. "Tony, answer me! Come on, Tony, wake up! You're free!" Tears began to blur her vision, and she tightly hugged the body to her chest. Tony couldn't be dead; he just _couldn't_ be! She'd gone through so much to save him the past two years. It couldn't end like this!

She choked back a sob, and felt the tears in her eyes begin to overflow down her cheeks. She felt dead inside, like she was the one not breathing. Her whole world was agonizingly imploding around her, leaving her with nothing but a cold void of darkness. The world was a much darker place than it had ever been before, even when Tony had been missing.

A hand hesitantly touched her shoulder, and she jumped in shock. Hugging Tony's body possessively to her chest, she slowly turned to face whoever had touched her.

Gene stood beside her, blood dripping down his face and broken hand clutched to his chest. His face was a mask of pain. "Potts, I think it's too late," he choked out, eyes looking a little red. "Stark…it's too late for him." He couldn't bring himself to continue, gravely bowing his head.

"No it's not," she whispered, voice thick with unshed tears. "It's not too late. He's going to be okay." These words were more to reassure herself than anything, because she knew in her heart that Tony Stark was dead. And there was nothing she could do.

Gene was frowning. "Pepper, you've got to listen to me. Tony is dead," he said, slowly and distinctly. "We were too late." He offered her his free hand, obviously intending to help her to her feet and lead her away from the scene.

"No!" she screamed, brutally swatting his hand away. "You're wrong, Gene! You're wrong!" Tears began to stream down her cheeks, fast and furious. "Tony's not dead! He _can't_ be!" She broke off, choking on her tears.

He looked wounded, but didn't try to drag her away against her will. Instead, he turned and walked away to check on Rhodey and Whitney.

Pepper released her tight grip on Tony, though she left him lying across her lap. Wiping at her overflowing eyes, she stared down at his blackened face. It was peaceful now, in death. It was obvious that the Controller's death had freed Tony, but now he wasn't here to enjoy it.

_What am I supposed to do now?_ she thought brokenly, sighing heavily as she tried to force the tears to stop coming. She felt empty inside; there was no longer any meaning in her life. So why should she even keep living?

Tony gasped, blue eyes flying open. He coughed and choked, struggling for a moment as he tried to get his breath back.

Pepper stared with utter shock for a moment, then darted in and hugged Tony tightly. She started crying again, even more than before, but now for joy instead of sadness. Tony was alive!

When he finally stopped coughing, he croaked out in a raspy voice, "Pepper, it's me."

Pepper cried even harder, not sure if she could ever manage to let Tony go again.

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Please review, everyone. There's still a very long epilogue to come! :D


	10. Epilogue: Team Iron Man

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_ isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to _Marvel_, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter; you've got no idea how happy it makes me that so many people have enjoyed this story. :D Here's the epilogue that I promised all of you, which I tried to make as long as humanly possible. Enjoy! :D

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Epilogue: Team Iron Man

Pepper got up and helped Tony stand. He staggered weakly as soon as he was in an upright position, and fell heavily against her. His legs were like rubber after being controlled for so long; he had very nearly forgotten how to use his muscles without aid.

"Tony, I still can't believe it's _you_," Pepper said, voice thick with tears. She looped one of his arms around her neck and supported as much of his weight as she could. "It's been so long…"

"I know, Pepper," he said wearily. "I lost track of time, but I know it was sometime over a month. Maybe two."

Pepper froze and stared at him, lips parting with surprise. "Tony…it's been two years," she said bluntly, swallowing hard at the expression that crossed Tony's face.

"You're…kidding," he managed to croak out, obviously trying to suppress his horror.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh my God!" someone shrieked, sounding suspiciously like Whitney.

"Tony? Is that you?" came a shocked voice from just behind them. Pepper clumsily maneuvered Tony in an inexpert circle so that they faced the opposite direction. Rhodey, Whitney, and Gene stood together, looking equally bruised and battered. Rhodey's helmet was gone, and Whitney had taken off her mask. They all stared at Pepper's burden with nearly identical expressions of amazement.

Tony smiled falteringly, and Pepper could somehow tell that he was still upset over the fact that two years had slipped by without him knowing. "Hey, Rhodey," he mumbled, expression crumpling.

Rhodey lunged forward and grabbed Tony away from Pepper, heedless of his War Machine armor, and hugged him tightly. Tony feebly hugged his old friend back, arms looking thin and weak in comparison. "God, Tony. It's _so_ great to see you, man," Rhodey murmured, still a bit stunned. This was all like some kind of elaborate dream, the one he'd been regularly having ever since Tony had mysteriously vanished.

Tony tried to say something, but his eyes rolled back in his head instead. He would have collapsed, if it hadn't been for Rhodey's grip on him. "What's wrong? _Tony_?" Rhodey exclaimed, starting to freak out. "What's wrong with him?"

"Calm down, Rhodes," Gene interjected calmly. He still held his broken hand to his chest, face tight with pain. "Stark is weak and he needs rest. It's going to be a while before he's back to his normal self again."

"Speaking of normal, we really need to get out of here," Whitney said suddenly. "The police and media are starting to converge, if you know what I mean."

Pepper glanced in the direction that Whitney was looking, and saw that she was right. "We'd better get back to your apartment, Rhodey," she said, pressing a switch to activate her jet pack. It flared to life, but she remained firmly on the ground. "Whitney, want a lift?" she asked reluctantly, knowing that it be rude to leave Whitney behind after all she'd done.

She shook her head and slipped her mask back into place, effectively hiding the bloody cut on one side of her face. Her blonde hair flickered and changed to black. "Thanks for the offer, but I have something I need to do. Tell Tony hi for me, and that I'll drop by the see him later."

"We will," Rhodey said, as his own helmet slid back around to hide his identity. He lifted Tony up into his arms like a sack of flour, preparing for flight.

Pepper, who had decided it was probably best to collect the pile of Iron Man armor and keep it out of the wrong hands, turned to Gene. "Coming?"

He shook his head. "I need to get my hand taken care of. You'll just have to carry on without me for a while, Potts."

She frowned at the strange tone in his voice, but nodded. "Okay. But be sure to drop by soon to see Tony, all right?"

Gene didn't respond. He looked down towards the five rings in his palm, which he had apparently collected from where Tony had thrown them. In an abrupt flash of light, he vanished.

"Talk to you three soon," Whitney said, then turned and raced away into the darkness.

Rhodey and Pepper lifted off into the air without a word to one another, and flew towards home.

It took them maybe ten minutes to reach their destination, where they somehow managed to get upstairs without being noticed by any of the other tenants. Pepper closed the door behind them and dumped the Iron Man armor into a pile on the floor, while Rhodey gently deposited Tony onto the sofa. Stark climbed down from a chair, barking eagerly, and licked one of Tony's hands. It seemed he had an instant liking of his namesake.

Pepper sank tiredly into the chair Stark had just vacated. "I still can't believe it," she murmured, gazing down at Tony's peaceful face with wonder. "We've been searching for so long…"

"And you never once gave up hope," Rhodey said. "Even when I lost faith, you didn't. Tony will be proud of you, Pepper."

She didn't answer, but smiled at the unconscious figure stretched out across the couch.

"Call me if he wakes up, okay? I'm just going to go change out of this," he said, gesturing down to the suit of armor he still wore. When Pepper had nodded distractedly, he made his way into the bedroom and closed the door.

It took a few minutes to get his armor off, and stash it neatly away in his closet. Then he sank down onto the bed, finally allowing his body to relax. He'd undergone a brutal beating, even though he'd only lasted a few minutes into the battle. But it had been completely worth it, just to save Tony and finally get him back. He would do it all again just to wipe Tony's memory of the horrible events that had likely occurred while he was held prisoner. Unfortunately, life didn't work like that. Tony was going to have to live with the memories, as were all of them.

Rhodey stood again, intending to join the others in the living room, then his eyes fell upon a cordless phone sitting on the bedside table. He glanced at the closed bedroom door, then back to the phone again. Quickly coming to a decision, he picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

After three rings, a woman answered. _"Hello?"_

Rhodey took a deep breath and sat back down on the bed. Then he spoke to his mother for the first time in nearly three months. "Hi, Mom. It's me, Rhodey. I was wondering if I could stop by sometime this week and see how you're doing. I've got the best news for you."

* * *

Whitney pushed open her bedroom window and flipped inside. She landed in a perfect crouch on the thick carpet, then slowly straightened. Taking a moment to lock the window behind her, she pulled off her mask and placed it in a locked box under her bed. Then she pulled off her costume and dressed in a flattering red dress that had previously been hanging on her closet door.

She stopped and looked at herself in the mirror. Apart from a dark bruise on her forehead and a small cut on her cheek, no one would ever be able to tell that she'd just been involved in a battle with Iron Man.

She quickly ran a brush through her hair, smoothing it back from her forehead, then left her bedroom. She walked down the hallway, then mounted the carpeted stairs to the third floor. There was only one large room up there, which was just the one she was interested in.

Whitney walked down a long hallway at the top of the stairs, then stopped before a wooden door and knocked. She didn't receive an answer, but that didn't stop her from completing her mission, because she hadn't been expecting one. She pushed the door open and strode inside.

Obadiah was sitting in a chair in the corner, where his desk had been. The large wooden desk now lay on its side, cracked nearly in half. Various papers that had been files for new inventions that he planned on stealing scattered the room.

"Hello, Daddy," she said calmly.

He barely even looked at her, taking a generous sip of alcohol from the clear glass he gripped in his hand like a lifeline. "What do you want?" he muttered viciously, scowling down at his broken desk. "Here to gloat? Say that you told me I would lose eventually? If that's why you're here, _Whitney_, you can just _save_ it."

She almost turned and left right then and there, but managed to stop herself just in time. She clenched both hands into tight fists and took a deep and cleansing breath.

She had seen just how close Pepper had come to losing Tony, who clearly meant the world to her. It had shown her just how easy it was to lose the people who were important to you. They could slip away so easily, not giving you any chances to say goodbye. It was important to patch up battered relationships and keep them going strong, which is what she intended to do with her father, even if the effort killed her.

Plastering what she hoped was a cheerful smile onto her face, she walked to the window. She pulled back the heavy set of drapes and allowed the first rays of sunlight to filter gently inside. She turned back to her father, ignoring his angry protests about the faint sunlight being allowed inside.

"You need to get out for a bit today," she said firmly, taking complete control of the situation. "We're going to breakfast. So go take a shower and get dressed. Then we're going down to one of Stark International's rival companies to see about getting you a new job."

Obadiah grumbled irritably under his breath, but got to his feet and stumbled from the room to do as she said.

Whitney smiled to herself before following him. This new arrangement was going to work out _just_ fine.

* * *

Gene had used the healing energies of one of the rings to mostly fix up his broken hand. It was aching now, deep in the bone, but other than that seemed fine. And now that little issue had been taken care of, he was free to set about his business, however unpleasant it was.

He was in his room at the moment, deep within the vaults of the Mandarin headquarters. A battered suitcase was placed on the neatly-made bed, and he was slowly and methodically filling it with clothes from his dresser.

It was time that he stopped being the Mandarin once and for all. He wasn't as cut out for the heavy burden of being such a powerful villain anymore. The Controller, via Stark, had made him look like an incompetent fool. He had very nearly gotten himself killed just to save Pepper Potts. Showing his nearly obsolete soft side wouldn't make him very popular with the Tong, that was for sure. They liked a leader who was strong and merciless, and would tolerate nothing else.

But that wasn't the only reason he was leaving, no matter what he told himself.

Stark was back now. Pepper wouldn't need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to help her get through her many struggles. She had the one she really cared about back, the _real_ hero. Pepper had no need for him to stick around any longer, and he really had no place in their team. He was more of a loner. Or so he told himself.

Gene carefully pushed the drawer of his dresser closed, then stepped away and surveyed the room. When he saw nothing out of place, nothing that he could have forgotten, he zipped the suitcase closed and picked it up from his bed. He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him, then walked away from his old life.

He would travel to faraway places, see things he had never seen before. He would build an empire and gather riches with the help of the five Mandarin rings, find loyal employees to work with. And he would never allow himself to look back, no matter what.

But there was just one last thing he had left to do first.

* * *

Pepper was still sitting on the chair beside the couch, Stark on her lap, watching Tony sleep. Rhodey hadn't yet emerged from his bedroom; he was on the phone to his mom, which Pepper had discovered by pressing her ear to the wood and doing a little covert eavesdropping. That was one of the things she did best, after all.

She stretched her arms out over her head, then moved Stark to the floor. He whined his disapproval and stared longingly at her as she stood and headed into the little kitchen area. She opened the refrigerator and rummaged around for a moment, finally discovering a can of soda and pulling it open. She popped the lid open, then took a sip.

Someone knocked on the front door. Stark yipped once and looked towards the unexpected noise, not exactly looking like the best guard dog in the history of the world.

Pepper glanced quickly at Tony, who hadn't even stirred with all the racket. She put the can down on the kitchen counter, then hurried over and opened the door. Gene stood there, holding the handles of a battered suitcase. "Gene?" she asked in a whisper, not wanting to wake Tony. "How's your hand?"

He nodded briskly. "It could be better, but I'll be fine."

"Good." There was a brief but awkward break in the conversation while Pepper frantically tried to think of something else to say. "So, um…want to come in?"

"I can't, Potts," Gene said calmly. "I don't want to interrupt anything. Besides, I'm just coming to say goodbye."

"_What_?" she yelped, completely shocked. "_Goodbye_? Gene, what's going on? How badly were you hurt in that fight?"

He smirked and shook his head at her. "I'm not dying, Potts. I'm leaving."

"Leaving where?" she demanded, still the slightest bit confused as to what was going on.

"I don't know yet. Somewhere far away, where no one knows me. Where I can start over as the Mandarin and find employees who aren't constantly planning to have me assassinated. Surely even you can understand why I'd do such a thing."

Pepper just stared at him, ignoring his mild insult. "But _why_? You just helped us get Tony back. Don't you want to stay and let him thank you for saving his life?"

"That's the point," he said quietly, averting his dark eyes from her inquisitive gaze. "Stark is back now, and there's no place for someone like me in your life. You don't need me anymore." He grimaced when Rhodey's dog thought he heard his name, and enthusiastically wagged his tail from across the room.

She was shocked. "But, Gene…don't be stupid. Of course I need you; we all do. Where is all this _coming_ from?"

"You never needed me before, when Tony was around," Gene pointed out, careful not to accidentally call Stark (the dog) over for an uncontrollable licking spree. "You only needed someone to be there for you when you were alone. But you aren't anymore. So I'm going to just let you get on with your life now." He turned to go, but Pepper impulsively reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Gene…can't you at least leave a phone number or something? You're a good friend; I don't want to lose you forever."

He looked pained, gently jerking his sleeve from her grasp. "That's another reason, Potts. I'm just a friend to you, nothing more. And I never will be, now that Stark is back."

She gawked at him, even though she knew she probably looked ridiculous. "You mean you…?"

"Goodbye, Potts." Gene turned and walked away down the corridor, disappearing around the corner and into his future.

"Call me, Gene!" she shouted after him, blinking hard as she tried to keep the tears from overflowing down her cheeks. She had never known that Gene had feelings for her, in all the time they had known each other. She couldn't imagine how he felt, watching her fawn over another man when all he wanted was for her to return his feelings. She felt a sudden surge of guilt, and it was all she could do not to run after Gene and stop him from leaving.

"Pepper?" came a sleepy voice in the direction of the couch.

She quickly wiped at her eyes, then slammed and door and spun around. "Tony," she whispered happily, staring at him for a few seconds as he slowly and painfully pulled himself into a sitting position. "Rhodey, come quick!" she called excitedly, trying to push depressing thoughts of Gene from her mind. She rushed over to sit down beside Tony, vowing to track him down later. Gene Khan wasn't going to escape that easily, no matter how hard he tried.

"Pepper?" Tony asked groggily, grimacing. "Where are we?"

She patted his shoulder, restraining herself from jumping at him and hugging him so tightly that his ribs would have the potential to break. "We're at Rhodey's apartment," she said happily, heart swelling with joy. "Sorry, I forgot you'd never been here before."

"Tony!" Rhodey came hurrying from the bedroom, grinning ear to ear. He patted Tony vigorously on the shoulder, then sank down onto the couch with them. "Man, you have _no_ idea how much I've missed you."

"We both have," Pepper added, once again blinking to clear her eyes of tears. "Where have you _been_, Tony?"

He was quiet a few minutes, staring into the distance towards something only he could see. "I fought that criminal with the stolen tech, remember? That was when I first disappeared." He waited until both of his friends nodded before continuing. "It turned out to be the Controller. He…he did something to me, I don't know what. I passed out, and woke up in the basement of Stark International. Obadiah…Obadiah did some things to me. He hit me with a sonic-powered whip. It…tore through my skin like a knife through melted butter." He bit his lip, touching his shoulder. Everyone knew that under his shirt were the angry scars that tore all across his skin.

Pepper clenched both hands into fists, visibly fighting to regain her composure. "If I hadn't already killed that _bastard_, I'd go after him right _now_!" she ground out, totally furious.

"Calm down, Pepper," Rhodey said soothingly, though he felt much the same. He was just better at hiding his anger.

"I don't know how long I was out," Tony went on softly, eyes growing vacant as he was immersed into memories. "But when I woke up again, I was in a large room. Everything was white. And there were men in masks and safety goggles leaning over me…"

_Tony slowly regained consciousness, eyes fluttering open. His entire body throbbed with pain, and he wasn't so sure that he wanted to be awake. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep and pretend like nothing was happening to him, that none of what Stark and the Controller had done had really happened._

_Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to change any of it._

_Everything was blurry, and he had to blink hard, several times, to clear his vision. A white ceiling was just above his head, bright lights shining down into his eyes. He painfully turned his head, and saw more white walls and lights everywhere. Several men in white suits and white masks, safety goggles firmly in place over their eyes, leaned over him. One of them, who seemed familiar, smiled cruelly when he saw that Tony was awake._

"_Controller," the teen gasped out. It hurt to speak, and it felt like at least one of his ribs had been broken. He tried to sit up, but found that several straps of white leather secured him to the examining table he lay on. "Why…are you doing this?"_

_The man leaned closer still, pulling off his mask and safety goggles. He was indeed the Controller, and he seemed happy to see his subject in such pain. "Don't worry, Tony Stark, you'll find out everything you need to know in due time. But for now, we need to condition you. Stane had his fun, now we'll have ours. Along with our…revenge."_

_Tony tried to swallow, but his throat was burning with thirst. "What…do you…?" he croaked._

"_Activate the mind probe and heat lances," the Controller ordered one of the other men, then turned back around to face Tony. He smiled coldly, and Tony felt a sudden surge of fear. "I'm going to enjoy this very much, Tony. But I can't say the same for you." He stepped back and put on his goggles and mask again, while two more men took his place._

"_Please don't do this," Tony choked out urgently. "I just want to go home. Please don't–"_

_And then the examining table was moving, creaking loudly as gears shifted it upright. Tony found himself held straight up and down, still strapped to the table. Now he could see around the rest of the blindingly white room, and saw several pieces of high-tech machinery in one corner. Along with several pieces of foreign weaponry that he had never seen before, but could easily guess what they could be used for. Extreme torture._

_Tony looked down at his body for the first time, and saw that he still wore only a pair of bloodstained jeans. Fresh blood coated his skin, more and more steadily leaking from the hundreds of slashes across his chest, back, and arms. _

"_Are you ready, Tony Stark?" the Controller asked pleasantly, from where he stood several feet away._

"_You're never going to get away with this," he spat. "I have friends, and they're going to find you. They'll stop you."_

"_Oh, but I don't think so. Mr. Rhodes and Ms. Potts are helpless to save you, Tony. We're in a perfectly secure compound, and there's absolutely no way in from the outside."_

_Tony choked back his despair, not wanting to give the Controller the reaction he so obviously wanted. "They'll stop you," he repeated, more to himself than anyone else._

"_Let's see if you feel the same after a few weeks," the Controller said. He nodded sharply to the two men looming up in Tony's face. "Do it."_

_One of the men began attaching a strange helmet to Tony's skull, and faced little resistance. Tony was too weak and exhausted from the constant pain to put up much of a fight. He could only stare straight ahead while the man finished attaching the helmet, and try his best to regain his dignity._

_The first man stepped away again, while the second man held up what looked like a highly advanced gun. He smiled coldly, then pulled the trigger. A burst of white fire exploded from the end of the gun and slammed into Tony's skin. It was all he could do not to scream as the fireball sizzled against his bare flesh for several excruciating seconds before dissolving._

"_Very good, gentlemen," the Controller said happily. "Now activate the mind probe."_

"_Please stop. Don't do this," Tony choked out through gritted teeth._

_The first man pressed a button on the remote he held in one gloved hand, and white light exploded through Tony's skull. His back arched like a bow from the table as he involuntarily strained against the restraints. He screamed, in complete agony, and pain was all he knew. He barely had enough strength for one short sentence, before the pain completely overtook him and started to tear him from sanity._

"_They'll save me."_

"…I don't know how long I was held there. I thought it was only a month or two. But Pepper told me it's been two years." Tony stopped and took a deep breath to compose himself. "I guess the Controller really enjoyed himself. I think there were other pieces of tech he used on me, but I don't remember much else about what happened. Everything's kind of foggy after that bit."

Pepper was staring at him with horror, tears flooding her eyes. "Oh my God, Tony…how could they have done all that to you?"

Tony shrugged, not meeting her gaze. He stared down at Stark, who was looking up at him and wagging his tail, tongue lolling out. "The Controller liked it. He liked to see people suffer."

Rhodey was having similar troubles controlling his own emotions, and reached over Pepper to put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Tony. Nothing like that is ever going to happen to you again. We'll make sure of it."

Pepper patted Tony's hand, giving him a watery smile. "You can count on us. And…I'm sorry that we didn't rescue you sooner. God, I tried so hard…" She trailed off, hastily wiping her eyes and clearing her throat.

"She did," Rhodey agreed proudly, smiling down at the redhead. "She never gave up hope that you were gonna come back to us, Tony. She sacrificed most of her own life to focus on saving you."

Tony looked worried. "Pepper…you shouldn't have done that, not just for me."

"Believe me, Tony, it was worth it," she said sincerely, cheeks faintly heating up.

The three friends sat in companionable silence for a while, just happy to be back together again. Then Stark moaned loudly and stretched, tail starting to wag like a tree branch caught in a fierce gale.

"I think he has to go out," Pepper pointed out to Rhodey.

Rhodey nodded and sighed. "Just a minute, Stark, and I'll take you for a walk."

Stark yipped excitedly, trotting towards the door then pausing to stare expectantly over his shoulder.

Tony laughed, sounding startled. "You named your dog Stark?"

Rhodey's expression was somewhere between irritation and embarrassment. "I checked a site of dog names, and Stark happened to be among the top ten," he said haughtily, though it was obvious to everyone that he had created the excuse off the top of his head.

"Well…thanks, Rhodey. I'm honored," Tony said with a weak grin.

"So what's gonna happen now?" Pepper asked in a small voice, changing the subject again. "Are we still Team Iron Man?"

Tony looked solemn, lips tightening. "I don't know, Pepper. After what the Controller put me through, both in and out of the armor, I don't know if I'm ready to put it back on again."

Rhodey nodded sadly. "I can't blame you for that. But we'll get the armory ready for you again, whenever you decide to go back to it."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," he said. "It's going to be a while before I'm as strong as I used to be, though."

"It doesn't matter, Tony," Pepper said quietly, taking one of his hands between both of hers. "We'll both always be here for you, Rhodey and I."

"She's right, Tony. We'll never let you go through something like that ever again, man. Trust me on that."

Tony's shoulders sagged, and he took a deep breath. "Thanks, guys. You have no idea how good it feels for you to be back."

Rhodey looked at his watch, then stood. "You up for a trip out, Tony? My mom's invited us all over for dinner. We can walk Stark on the way."

Tony looked almost like he might cry, as Pepper carefully helped him to his feet. "That would be awesome," he said quietly, blue eyes shining with tears of happiness.

"Then let's go," Pepper said, putting one arm around Tony's waist to help him walk. "Team Iron Man forever."

Stark barked happily as Rhodey clipped him to his leash. Then the four of them walked out the door, towards whatever life would bring them next.

**

* * *

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I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who stuck with this story, despite occasionally long waits between chapters. ^-^; I hope you all liked reading the story. And special thanks to those who reviewed on every chapter. :D I hope to see you guys at another fic of mine sometime soon!


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